Saltpetre
/ˈsɔːltpiːtə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Potassium nitrate. uncountable, usually
- 2 (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive wordnet
- 3 Sodium nitrate. uncommon, uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To treat with saltpetre. transitive
Antonyms
All antonymsEtymology
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).