noun
a mixture used by Byzantine Greeks that was often shot at adversaries; catches fire when wetted
• Hypernyms: ↑mixture, ↑weapon, ↑arm, ↑weapon system
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nounUsage: usually capitalized G
1. : an incendiary composition used in warfare by the Byzantine Greeks and said to have burst into flame on wetting
2. : any of several flammable mixtures : wildfire
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1. an incendiary mixture of unknown composition, used in warfare in medieval times by Byzantine Greeks.
2. any of a group of inflammable mixtures; wildfire.
[1820-30]
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Greek fire noun
A substance (of unknown composition) that caught fire when wetted, used in war against enemy ships, long a secret of the Byzantine Greeks
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Main Entry: ↑Greek
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Greek fire,
a substance easily set on fire whose flames could not be put out by water; wildfire. It was used in warfare in ancient and medieval times.
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n. historical a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon and used to set light to enemy ships. It was first used by the Greeks besieged in Constantinople (673 - 78). It ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime
Useful english dictionary. 2012.