Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A highly explosive chemical, C5H8N4O12, used in ammunition, detonators, and plastic explosives.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • initialism pentaerythritol tetranitrate

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[p(enta)e(rythritol) t(etra)n(itrate).]

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Examples

  • One federal law-enforcement official said the bomb-maker could have obtained the PETN from a government munitions program or a mining company, or could have figured out how to manufacture it.

    Investigators link package explosives to al-Qaeda bomb-maker in Yemen Peter Finn 2010

  • One federal law-enforcement official said the bomb-maker could have obtained the PETN from a government munitions program or a mining company, or could have figured out how to manufacture it.

    Investigators link package explosives to al-Qaeda bomb-maker in Yemen Peter Finn 2010

  • One federal law-enforcement official said the bomb-maker could have obtained the PETN from a government munitions program or a mining company, or could have figured out how to manufacture it.

    Investigators link package explosives to al-Qaeda bomb-maker in Yemen Peter Finn 2010

  • Also, a preliminary FBI analysis found the device carried by the suspect contained something called PETN, that is the same explosive compound used by Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," who, of course, as we know, changed the way we traveled in this country.

    CNN Transcript Dec 27, 2009 2009

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    phillyBurbs.com: Home RSS feed 2010

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    daytondailynews.com - News GREG BLUESTEIN 2010

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    ajc.com - News GREG BLUESTEIN 2010

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    KSL / U.S. / National 2010

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    Las Vegas News - LasVegasNOW.com 2010

  • The FBI training focuses on such devices, as well as manufactured chemicals such as PETN, which is used in Hollywood-type explosions and was found in the failed Detroit-bound airliner attack in December.

    daytondailynews.com - News GREG BLUESTEIN 2010

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