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Noun: saltpeter  ,solt'pee-tur
Usage: US (elsewhere: saltpetre)
  1. Crystalline salt (KNO₃), used especially as a fertilizer and explosive
    "saltpeter was a crucial component in early gunpowder formulations";
    - potassium nitrate, saltpetre [Brit, Cdn], niter [US], nitre [Brit, Cdn]

Derived forms: saltpeters

Type of: nitrate

Part of: black powder, fertiliser [Brit], fertilizer, plant food

Encyclopedia: Saltpeter