SALTPETERS
Noun
saltpeters
plural of saltpeter
Anagrams
• saltpetres, sleep start
Source: Wiktionary
SALTPETER
Salt`pe"ter, Salt`pe"tre, (, n. Etym: [F. salpĂŞtre, NL. sal petrae,
literally, rock salt, or stone salt; Salt, and Petrify.] (Chem.)
Definition: 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. Chili
salpeter (Chem.), sodium nitrate (distinguished from potassium
nitrate, or true salpeter), a white crystalline substance, NaNO3,
having a cooling, saline, slightly bitter taste. It is obtained by
leaching the soil of the rainless districts of Chili and Peru. It is
deliquescent and cannot be used in gunpowder, but is employed in the
production of nitric acid. Called also cubic niter.
– Saltpeter acid (Chem.), nitric acid; -- sometimes so called
because made from saltpeter.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition