Relating to substances or engine designs that prevent premature ignition or 'knocking' in internal combustion engines.
From anti- (against) + knock (a metal pinging sound in engines). The term emerged in the 1920s when engineers discovered that certain fuel additives reduced engine knock.
Leaded gasoline's big selling point in the 1920s was that it was 'antiknock'—but we didn't learn until much later that lead poisoned millions of people. It's a reminder that early marketing terms can hide dark truths.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.