"consonantal sound formed by blocking the passage of air and then suddenly releasing it," 1899, from explosive. As an adjective from 1909.
Entries linking to plosive
explosive adj.
1660s, "tending to explode," from Latin explos-, past participle stem of explodere "drive out, reject" (see explosion) + -ive. As a noun, from 1874. Related: Explosives (n.); explosively; explosiveness.