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Why did Nobel name dynamite after the Greek word dynamis?
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explosive
A coal miner loading a drill hole with a water gel explosive called Tovex.
Alfred Nobel named his 1867 invention dynamite after the Greek word dynamis, which means "power" or "strength."12
He chose this name to reflect the significant increase in explosive force and utility that his new product offered compared to existing alternatives like black powder. By stabilizing nitroglycerin through absorption into kieselguhr, Nobel created a safer, more manageable, and highly effective tool for industrial applications such as tunneling, canal construction, and building railways.23