accelerant Hear it!

accelerant Definition

ac·cel·er·ant (ak selər ənt, ək-)

adjective

accelerating

Etymology: L accelerans, prp. of accelerare: see accelerate

noun

  1. something that increases the speed of a process
  2. Chem. catalyst

accelerant Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • use: Returning to the detector dog it is being trained to scent the presence of accelerants used to start fires.
  • pour: Offenders poured an accelerant onto front doors of the houses and through letterboxes and set alight using matches.
  • identify: Infrared is very useful in identifying single solvent accelerants.

Adjective modifier

  • common: The most common accelerants are flammable or combustible liquids.

Modifies a noun

  • dog: They hit on the idea of accelerant sniffer dogs to speed up and make fire investigation more efficient.

Noun used with modifier

  • fire: The dog is trained to indicate the presence of any fire accelerant.
  • compost: Layers of comfrey can be placed on the compost heap from time to time to act as a compost accelerant.