The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cordite \Cord"ite\ (k[^o]rd"[imac]t), n. [From Cord, n.]
   (Mil.)
   A smokeless powder composed of nitroglycerin, guncotton, and
   mineral jelly, and used by the British army and in other
   services. In making it the ingredients are mixed into a paste
   with the addition of acetone and pressed out into cords (of
   various diameters) resembling brown twine, which are dried
   and cut to length. A variety containing less nitroglycerin
   than the original is known as cordite M. D.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

cordite
    n 1: explosive powder (nitroglycerin and guncotton and
         petrolatum) dissolved in acetone and dried and extruded in
         brown cords