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saltpeter

or salt·pe·tre

[ sawlt-pee-ter ]
/ ˌsɔltˈpi tər /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR saltpeter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, that occurs naturally, used in the manufacture of fireworks, fluxes, gunpowder, etc.; niter.
Chile saltpeter.

RELATED WORDS

vinegar, chemical, salt, alcohol, formaldehyde

Nearby words

  1. saltness,
  2. salto,
  3. salton sea,
  4. salton sink,
  5. saltpan,
  6. saltpetre,
  7. salts,
  8. saltus,
  9. saltwater,
  10. saltwater taffy

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for saltpeter

Word Origin and History for saltpeter

saltpeter

n.

"potassium nitrate," c.1500, earlier salpetre (early 14c.), from Old French salpetre, from Medieval Latin sal petrae "salt of rock," from Latin sal "salt" (see salt (n.)) + petra "rock, stone" (see petrous). So called because it looks like salt encrusted on rock.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Science definitions for saltpeter

saltpeter

[ sôlt′pē′tər ]

See potassium nitrate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.