saltpeter
Americannoun
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the form of potassium nitrate, KNO 3 , that occurs naturally, used in the manufacture of fireworks, fluxes, gunpowder, etc.; niter.
Etymology
Origin of saltpeter
1275–1325; earlier salt peter; replacing Middle English sal peter, salpetre < Medieval Latin salpetrē, for Latin sal petrae salt of rock, so called because it commonly encrusts stones
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Saltpeter could also be gleaned from certain caves.
From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2020
Saltpeter had been used for centuries prior to that, with its first mentions coming in the second century B.C.E., but it was probably in use in the 4th century B.C.E. or earlier.
From Forbes • Jul. 4, 2014
Saltpeter is relatively uncommon in Europe, because it’s more likely to form at higher temperatures.
From Forbes • Jul. 4, 2014
Jay Saltpeter, a former detective who worked with Mr. Scarcella and is now a private investigator, says Mr. Scarcella is being unfairly scapegoated.
From New York Times • May 11, 2013
I think that Saltpeter never uttered a truer thing than when he said, 'Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.'
From The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories by Twain, Mark
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
