nitrous

adj

1. (historical, not-comparable)Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter.

   “Whate'er the wintry Frost Nitrous prepar'd; the various-blossom'd Spring Put in white Promise forth; and Summer-Suns Concocted strong, rush boundless now to View […].”

2. (not-comparable)Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species.

   “In fact, nitric oxide (not to be confused with nitrous oxide, or laughing gas) is one of our primary signalling molecules.”

   “On social media and beyond, many have taken to using the brand’s name in a more colloquial fashion, with “Galaxy Gas” being used as a catchall for nitrous oxide inhalants at large, regardless of whether they are actually Galaxy Gas products or not.”

3. (not-comparable)Of or relating to nitrous acid or its derivatives.
4. (not-comparable)Having a sharp odor like ammonia or nitric acid.

noun

1. (informal, uncountable)Nitrous oxide.
2. (informal, uncountable)The system in some racing vehicles which pumps nitrous oxide into the engine to improve performance.

   “When a shot this big is being run, it will also be necessary to pull 6-10 degrees of timing out when the nitrous is being run.”

   “To simulate nitrous, we will use a very simple approach: apply a large force to the back of the car when the nitrous is on.”

   “When tested on a typical summer day, an engine with fuel fed by an annular discharge booster could be 10 hp less over a stepped dogleg booster, but 10 hp more when the nitrous is in operation.”