# nitrous

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈnaɪtɹəs/ · frequency rank #30,513

## Definitions
1. Pertaining to or composed of nitre; having the properties of nitre, bitter.
2. Of, relating to, or derived from nitrogen, especially in which the valence of the nitrogen is lower than that of a corresponding nitric species.
3. Of or relating to nitrous acid or its derivatives.
4. Having a sharp odor like ammonia or nitric acid.

## Etymology
From Middle French nitreux, and its source, Latin nitrōsus (“nitrose”). Doublet of nitroso. By surface analysis, nitro- + -ous.

## Easily confused with
- **nitro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nitro-vs-nitrous)

## Common misspellings (10)
`introus`, `nirtous`, `nitorus`, `nitrosu`, `nitrouss`, `nitrrous`, `nitruos`, `nittrous`, `nnitrous`, `ntirous`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nitrous