A type of explosive made from cellulose nitrate mixed with other substances, used historically in mining and construction.
From cellulose + -ite (mineral suffix). Cellulose comes from French cellule (cell) + -ose (chemical suffix). The -ite ending was borrowed from mineralogy to name the explosive compound created in the late 19th century.
Cellite represents an era when chemists got creative naming explosives by mixing stable names with explosive properties—it's like calling TNT 'wood-boom' because it's made from cellulose. This naming pattern helped scientists communicate danger through familiarity, making industrial accidents less mysterious.
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