explosion

Etymology

From French explosion, from Latin explōsiōnis, genitive form of explōsio, from explōdo (“I drive out by clapping”), from ex- and plōdo (“I clap or strike”). For more information see explode.

noun

1. A violent release of energy (sometimes mechanical, nuclear, or chemical.)
   Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion." 2013-06-21, Chico Harlan, “Japan pockets the subsidy …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 30
2. A bursting due to pressure.
3. The sound of an explosion.
4. A sudden uncontrolled increase.
5. A sudden outburst.
   All this has led to an explosion of protest across China, including among a middle class that has discovered nimbyism. That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition. It is therefore dealing with pollution in two ways—suppression and mitigation. 2013-08-10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848