saltpeter
noun
salt·pe·ter ˈsȯlt-ˈpē-tər 
1
: potassium nitrate
2
: sodium nitrate
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The layers of history at this site in the Fort Payne area include Cherokee inscriptions, Civil War saltpeter mining and use as a tourist attraction prior to 1979. 
al, 22 June 2022 The medieval gunpowder recipes were generally lower in saltpeter and higher in sulfur than modern ones. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 The sulfur and carbon (typically in the form of charcoal) act as fuels whereas the saltpeter provides a rush of oxygen to ignite the extremely fast chemical reaction known as explosive combustion. The New York Times, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2021 During the earlier part of the 14th century, gunpowder was the domain of alchemists who sourced their saltpeter and sulfur from traders arriving from China and India. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 For ages, the main ingredients of gunpowder have consisted of sulfur, carbon and potassium nitrate, commonly known as saltpeter. The New York Times, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2021 Rogers asked his colleague Dawn Riegner, a professor of chemistry, to fact-check one recipe that included an unusual ratio of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 Stumps of larger vines can be killed by drilling holes and filling with molasses or saltpeter (potassium nitrate). Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2021 The saltpeter kettles, repurposed as garden torches, were filled with fuel and lit, and their light flickered on an array of classical statuary, columns, urns and the like. Washington Post, 7 July 2021 See More
al, 22 June 2022 The medieval gunpowder recipes were generally lower in saltpeter and higher in sulfur than modern ones. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 The sulfur and carbon (typically in the form of charcoal) act as fuels whereas the saltpeter provides a rush of oxygen to ignite the extremely fast chemical reaction known as explosive combustion. The New York Times, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2021 During the earlier part of the 14th century, gunpowder was the domain of alchemists who sourced their saltpeter and sulfur from traders arriving from China and India. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 For ages, the main ingredients of gunpowder have consisted of sulfur, carbon and potassium nitrate, commonly known as saltpeter. The New York Times, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2021 Rogers asked his colleague Dawn Riegner, a professor of chemistry, to fact-check one recipe that included an unusual ratio of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. Eric Niiler, Wired, 29 Sep. 2021 Stumps of larger vines can be killed by drilling holes and filling with molasses or saltpeter (potassium nitrate). Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2021 The saltpeter kettles, repurposed as garden torches, were filled with fuel and lit, and their light flickered on an array of classical statuary, columns, urns and the like. Washington Post, 7 July 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English salt petre, alteration of salpetre, from Medieval Latin sal petrae, literally, salt of the rock
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing saltpeter
Medical Definition
saltpeter
noun
salt·pe·ter
variants or chiefly British saltpetre
ˈsȯlt-ˈpēt-ər
1
: potassium nitrate
2
: sodium nitrate