carbon dioxide: Meaning and Definition of

car'bon diox'ide

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a colorless, odorless, incombustible gas, CO, present in the atmosphere and formed during respiration, usually obtained from coal, coke, or natural gas by combustion, from carbohydrates by fermentation, by reaction of acid with limestone or other carbonates, or naturally from springs: used extensively in industry as dry ice, or carbon dioxide snow, in carbonated beverages, fire extinguishers, etc. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.