saltpetre

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saltpetre

/ˈsɔːltpiːtə(ɹ)/
/sɔːltˈpiːtə(ɹ)/

Where it comes from

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).

noun saltpetres · saltpeter

uncountable, usually Potassium nitrate.
Similar: Chilean saltpeter, Chilean saltpetre, nitrate of potash, niter, nitre, potassium nitrate
uncommon, uncountable, usually Sodium nitrate.
Similar: caliche, Chile saltpeter, Chile saltpetre, soda niter, soda nitre, sodium nitrate

verb saltpetres · saltpetring · saltpetred · saltpeter

transitive To treat with saltpetre.

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Cite this

MLA

"saltpetre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/saltpetre. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

saltpetre. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/saltpetre

Chicago

"saltpetre." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/saltpetre.

BibTeX

@misc{saltpetre_2026,
  title = {saltpetre},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/saltpetre},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}