saltpeter
6
8.6
- noun
- /ˈsɔltˌpitər/
- Specialized
:
salitre
- That's saltpeter, the natural form of potassium nitrate.
- saltpeter for gunpowder
- sulfur and saltpeter
- charcoal and saltpeter
Examples
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I asked you to organize the ladies to make saltpeter for gunpowder.
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Trade in the key commodities, textiles, opium, saltpeter, and betel nuts was carefully managed to keep the empire on top.
Blog text (32) -
It's also known as saltpeter.
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If I could find saltpeter, we could build a little surprise for the Morlocks.
Fiction book (2001) -
Organ Cave was used as a source of saltpeter for gunpowder, and many of the original hoppers remain in the cave.
Academic text (2001) -
Ben fashioned fireworks with powder, sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal.
Fiction book (1993) -
He taught me how to make gunpowder from sulfur, saltpeter, and barbecue charcoal ground up into powder between two bricks.
Fiction book (1997) -
It's also known as saltpeter, which is used in fertilizers and explosives.
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The recipe for gunpowder requires mixing sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter.
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Historically, saltpeter was essential for making explosives and preserving food.
Synonyms
2
4.7
A white salt used to help plants grow, make explosives, and preserve food
A white crystal used as a fertilizer and to make gunpowder
Surface Forms
Etymology
Saltpeter comes from two old parts: salt and petra 'rock', so it originally meant 'salt of the rock'. That's why saltpeter is the name for the white mineral you find on stones, which people use to preserve food, help plants grow, and make gunpowder.