nitre

American  

[nahy-ter] / ˈnaɪ tər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a variant of niter.

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nitre British  

/ ˈnaɪtə /

noun

1. another name for potassium nitrate sodium nitrate

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Etymology

Origin of nitre

C14: via Old French from Latin nitrum, from Greek nitron _natron

Example Sentences

The nitre beds were large rectangles of rotted manure and straw, moistened weekly with urine, “dung water,” and liquid from privies, cesspools and drains, and turned over regularly, according to accounts at the time.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2020

Many of the records come from the Confederate nitre and mining bureau, which was set up to produce saltpeter, among other things.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2020

On Nov. 13, 1862, the Confederate government advertised in the Charleston Daily Courier for 20 or 30 “able bodied Negro men” to work in the new nitre beds at Ashley Ferry, S.C.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2020

The damp stone walls were splotchy with nitre, and the only light came from the sealed iron-and-glass oil lamp that Hallyne the Pyromancer carried so gingerly.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

He remembered walls of pale red stone festooned with patches of nitre, a grey door of splintered wood, four inches thick and studded with iron.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin