accelerant

[ ak-sel-er-uhnt ]

noun

1. something that speeds up a process.
2. Chemistry. accelerator ( def 5 ).
3. a substance that accelerates the spread of fire or makes a fire more intense:

   Arson was suspected when police found accelerants at the scene of the fire.

accelerant

/ ækˈsɛlərənt /

noun

1. chem another name for accelerator

accelerant

/ ăk-sĕl′ər-ənt /

1. A substance, such as a petroleum distillate, that is used as a catalyst, as in spreading an intentionally set fire.

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerant¹

1915–20; < Latin accelerant- (stem of accelerāns ) hastening (present participle of accelerāre ). See accelerate

Word History and Origins

Origin of accelerant¹

C20: from Latin from accelerāns, present participle of accelerāre to go faster

Example Sentences

An accelerant had been poured over the door and through the letterbox.

From BBC

Streams of lies are not just lies to be fact-checked, but an accelerant that impacts people’s brains, causing moral disengagement, allowing people to abandon their own decision-making and obey.

From Salon

Worse, the added miles of highway lanes act as an accelerant for climate change.

From Slate

He described Trump as an “accelerant” of leftist conspiracy thinking, just as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, were accelerants for conspiracy theories on the right.

From Salon

The ongoing quibbling over whether "The Bear" is a comedy or a drama received a new splash of accelerant when the FX series landed 23 Emmy Award nominations on Wednesday.

From Salon