Definition of Saltpeter

1. Noun. (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive.

Exact synonyms: Niter, Nitre, Potassium Nitrate, Saltpetre
Substance meronyms: Fertiliser, Fertilizer, Plant Food
Generic synonyms: Nitrate
Derivative terms: Nitric, Nitrous

Definition of Saltpeter

1. n. Potassium nitrate; niter; a white crystalline substance, KNO3, having a cooling saline taste, obtained by leaching from certain soils in which it is produced by the process of nitrification (see Nitrification, 2). It is a strong oxidizer, is the chief constituent of gunpowder, and is also used as an antiseptic in curing meat, and in medicine as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and refrigerant.

Definition of Saltpeter

1. Noun. (American English) (alternative spelling of saltpetre) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Saltpeter

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Saltpeter

1. Common name for potassium nitrate, in the context of geologic deposits, it may also be used to refer to other nitrate minerals such as calciumnitrate. (09 Oct 1997)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Saltpeter

saltmarsh
saltmarshes
saltmouth
saltmouths
saltness
saltnesses
salto
salto mortale
saltoed
saltoing
saltopus
saltopuses
saltos
saltpan
saltpans
saltpeter
saltpeter paper
saltpeters
saltpetre
saltpetres
saltpetrous
saltproof
salts
saltshaker
saltshakers
saltus
saltuses

Literary usage of Saltpeter

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Correspondence Concerning Claims Against Great Britain: Transmitted to the by United States Dept. of State (1871)
"... be directed to ship, per month, forty tons of lead and sixty tons of saltpeter as a minimum, andas much more as can be reasonably forwarded, ..."

2. Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases by West Publishing Company (1905)
"Saltpeter. "Saltpeter," as used In a policy of Insurance which insured a stock of drugs and medicines, but contained a provision that the policy should be ..."

3. Principles and Practice of Agricultural Analysis: A Manual for the Study of by Harvey Washington Wiley (1908)
"The quantities of Chile saltpeter which should be applied per acre vary ... It is rarely the case that a crop demands a dressing of Chile saltpeter alone. ..."

4. Bacteria in Relation to Plant Diseases by Erwin Frink Smith (1911)
"Saltpeter prevents the formation of nodules. That this is not due to the abundance of nitrogen supplied as was formerly supposed, but to a directly ..."

5. Elementary Modern Chemistry by Wilhelm Ostwald, Harry Wheeler Morse (1909)
"Saltpeter. Among the naturally occurring compounds which have been known and used for a very long time there is one called saltpeter. ..."

6. Elementary Modern Chemistry by Wilhelm Ostwald, Harry Wheeler Morse (1909)
"Saltpeter. Among the naturally occurring compounds which have been known and used for a very long time there is one called saltpeter. ..."

7. United States Supreme Court Reports by Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company, United States Supreme Court (1912)
"What reason is there, that the smallest quantity of saltpeter, which is by no means a dangerous substance, and is kept in nearly every farmhouse in the ..."

8. Correspondence Concerning Claims Against Great Britain: Transmitted to the by United States Dept. of State (1871)
"... be directed to ship, per month, forty tons of lead and sixty tons of saltpeter as a minimum, andas much more as can be reasonably forwarded, ..."

9. Judicial and Statutory Definitions of Words and Phrases by West Publishing Company (1905)
"Saltpeter. "Saltpeter," as used In a policy of Insurance which insured a stock of drugs and medicines, but contained a provision that the policy should be ..."

10. Principles and Practice of Agricultural Analysis: A Manual for the Study of by Harvey Washington Wiley (1908)
"The quantities of Chile saltpeter which should be applied per acre vary ... It is rarely the case that a crop demands a dressing of Chile saltpeter alone. ..."

11. Bacteria in Relation to Plant Diseases by Erwin Frink Smith (1911)
"Saltpeter prevents the formation of nodules. That this is not due to the abundance of nitrogen supplied as was formerly supposed, but to a directly ..."

12. Elementary Modern Chemistry by Wilhelm Ostwald, Harry Wheeler Morse (1909)
"Saltpeter. Among the naturally occurring compounds which have been known and used for a very long time there is one called saltpeter. ..."

13. Elementary Modern Chemistry by Wilhelm Ostwald, Harry Wheeler Morse (1909)
"Saltpeter. Among the naturally occurring compounds which have been known and used for a very long time there is one called saltpeter. ..."

14. United States Supreme Court Reports by Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company, United States Supreme Court (1912)
"What reason is there, that the smallest quantity of saltpeter, which is by no means a dangerous substance, and is kept in nearly every farmhouse in the ..."

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