Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Mid-century: TV and science ·1942
Napalm
naphthenic palmitic
- Meaning
- An incendiary gel used in military firebombs.
- Source words
- naphthenic + palmitic
- Coined by
- Louis Fieser (Harvard)
- Year
- 1942
Background
Named after the two acids used in the original gelling agent. Developed at Harvard under US military contract and deployed extensively in WWII and Vietnam.
Mid-century: TV and science
Two engines dominated: television (sitcom, televangelist) and post-war big science (pulsar, transistor). Many mid-century coinages came from scientific style sheets and industry journals.
Two words, one coinage.
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