From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnapalmna‧palm /ˈneɪpɑːm $ -pɑːm, -pɑːlm/ noun [uncountable] SCBPMWa substance made from petrol that was used in bombs by US forces to burn fields and villages during the Vietnam war
Examples from the Corpus
napalm• His poor hands are black claws with burns from napalm bombing.• We also had flamethrowers, which were tracks with an 800-gallon napalm tank inside.• He makes napalm in his basement with gasoline and baby soap.• Is it really self-evident that the manufacture of napalm to be used in war is something for the benefit of the public?• He mentioned a range of substances, including pesticides, napalm, morphine and demobilizing gases.• Horrors include the bombing of civilians and unconfirmed reports that napalm has been used.• Burn Hollywood Burn and smell the napalm!• Equally horrible was napalm, which melts its victims into a kind of gelatin.Origin napalm (1900-2000) naphthene a chemical compound ((19-21 centuries)) (from naphtha) + palmitate a chemical substance ((19-21 centuries)) (from French palme “palm tree”)