explosive
UK[ɪkˈspləʊsɪv]US[ɪkˈsploʊsɪv]
adj
able or likely to explode or cause an explosion
adj
(of an increase) sudden and very large
n
a substance that can cause an explosion
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
plos
ive
ex
out
plos
to clap, to burst
ive
tending to, having the nature of
Etymology
the word 'explosive' originates from the latin verb 'explodere', which meant 'to drive out by clapping' or 'to reject with noise', from 'ex-' (out) and 'plaudere' (to clap). in classical latin theater, an actor would be 'exploded' off the stage by the audience's clapping. over time, the meaning shifted from a noisy expulsion to a violent bursting apart. the modern english adjective 'explosive', formed by adding the suffix '-ive' to the latin past participle stem 'plos-', captures this evolved sense of a substance or force tending to burst out violently.
Analysis
Structure: ex + plos + ive
ex- (latin, prefix meaning 'out'); plos (latin, from the root of 'plaudere' meaning 'to clap, to burst'); -ive (latin, adjective-forming suffix meaning 'tending to, having the nature of')
Examples
the bomb squad carefully handled the unstable explosive material.
the country has seen an explosive growth in its technology sector over the past decade.
the chemical was so volatile it was classified as a high-grade explosive.