calcium cyanamide: Meaning and Definition of

cal'cium cyan'amide

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a gray-black, often lumpy powder, CaCN, unstable in water, obtained by heating calcium carbide and nitrogen; cyanamide: used chiefly as a fertilizer, herbicide, and intermediate in the synthesis of nitrogen compounds.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.