Dictionary
det•o•na•tion
Pronunciation: (det"n-ā'shun), [key]—
n.
1. the act of detonating.
2. an explosion.
3. Mach.the premature spontaneous burning of a fuel–air mixture in an internal-combustion engine due to the high temperature of air compressed in a cylinder.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.