Dictionary
ni'trous ox'ide
Chem., Pharm.
a colorless, sweet-smelling, sweet-tasting, nonflammable, slightly water-soluble gas, N
2O, that sometimes produces a feeling of exhilaration when inhaled: used chiefly as an anesthetic in dentistry and surgery, in the manufacture of chemicals, and as an aerosol. Also called
laughing gas. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.