PETN

noun

ˌpē-ˌē-ˌtē-ˈen 

: a crystalline ester C₅H₈N₄O₁₂ used as a powerful high explosive and medically in the treatment of angina pectoris

… the experts determined that its explosive content was identical to that of the Honolulu bomb—PETN, an explosive undetectable by X-ray.

—Steven Emerson

called also pentaerythritol tetranitrate

Examples of PETN in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The batteries of the walkie-talkies were laced with a highly explosive compound known as PETN, a Lebanese source familiar with the device’s components told Reuters. —Reuters Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

pentaerythritol tetranitrate

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above