saltpetre
/ˈsɔːltpiːtə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
Forms saltpetres saltpetring saltpetred saltpeter
- noun (originally) Potassium nitrate.
- noun (uncommon) Sodium nitrate.
- verb (transitive) To treat with saltpetre.
Synonyms
Chilean saltpeter Chilean saltpetre nitrate of potash niter nitre potassium nitrate caliche Chile saltpeter Chile saltpetre soda niter soda nitre sodium nitrate saltpeter
Etymology
From Middle English saltpetre, alteration of Old French salpetre, from Medieval Latin sāl petrae (“salt of the rock”), named so being found as an incrustation. Alteration of the first element is from folk-etymological association with salt (which is, nevertheless, cognate to Latin sāl).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Potassium nitrate; niter, a white crystalline substance, KNO3, having a cooling saline taste, obtained by leaching from certain soils in which it is produced by the process of nitrification (see Nitrification, 2). It is a strong oxidizer, is the chief constituent of gunpowder, and is also used as an antiseptic in curing meat, and in medicine as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and refrigerant. Chili salpeter (Chem.), sodium nitrate (distinguished from potassium nitrate, or true salpeter), a white crystalline substance, NaNO3, having a cooling, saline, slightly bitter taste. It is obtained by leaching
Etymology [F. salpêtre, NL. sal petrae, literally, rock salt, or stone salt; Salt, and Petrify.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “saltpetre”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details