Explosive means able to burst violently, or likely to cause an outburst. An explosive device, explosive growth, an explosive subject.
As a noun, explosives are classified by how fast they react: high explosives detonate faster than sound through the material and low ones merely burn very quickly. Explosive growth means fast rather than dangerous. The Latin means to drive off by clapping.
1adjectiveexplosiveAble to burst violently.
“The lorry was carrying explosive chemicals, so the police closed the road.”
2adjectivecauseLikely to cause an outburst.
“Immigration has become an explosive issue in the election campaign.”
explosive is a quality of violence.
Latin explodere meant to drive an actor off the stage by clapping — ex, out, plus plaudere, to clap. The sense of bursting came much later.
Latin
explosus
English, today
explosive
From Latin explosus, stem of the perfect passive participle of explōdō + the suffix -ive.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA