saltpeter

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“
And as dat whited saltpeter was a'tryin 'to take her husband away from her.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun See potassium nitrate.
  2. noun See sodium nitrate.
  3. noun See niter.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

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Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Refining the saltpeter was the current big problem, but I was hesitant about getting Arabian alchemists in on the project. —  LeoA
  • He taught me how to make gunpowder from sulfur, saltpeter, and barbecue charcoal ground up into powder between two bricks. —  F ;SF; - vol 092 issue 04 - April 1997
  • Ordinary black powder—sulfur, saltpeter (potassium nitrate, KNO[3]), and charcoal (carbon)—is the classic example. —  AnalogSFF,October2007
  • The Romans sometimes chilled liquids by immersing bottles in vessels filled with water and saltpeter, and rotating the bottles rapidly.
  • Unless you advocate neutering all humans while playing around with hormones and saltpeter, humans are still going to want their sexy stuff. —  Like a SPACEROCKET, Baby!
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This word has been looked up 87 times.

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Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English salpetre, from Old French, from Medieval Latin sālpetrae : Latin sāl, salt; see sal- in Indo-European roots + Latin petrae, genitive of petra, rock (from Greek petrā; see per-2 in Indo-European roots).
 

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/sɔltˈpitər/
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