Research Department Explosive; another name for cyclonite
cyclonite
RDX in American English
abbreviation
a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, powerful high explosive, C3H6N6O6, used chiefly in bombs and shells
Also called: cyclonite, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine
Word origin
[1940–45; R(esearch) D(epartment) (E)x(plosive), referring to such a department in Woolwich, England]This word is first recorded in the period 1940–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blockbuster, debrief, sealant, set-aside, snorkel