Search:saltpetre -> SALTPETRE
saltpetre
s a l t p e t r e hex:#115;#97;#108;#116;#112;#101;#116;#114;#101;
The Salt of the World?
- Saltpetre - 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.