another name for potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate
Word origin
C14: via Old French from Latin nitrum, from Greek nitronnatron
potassium nitrate in British English
noun
a colourless or white crystalline compound used in gunpowders, pyrotechnics, fertilizers, and as a preservative for foods, esp as a curing salt for ham, sausages, etc (E252). Formula: KNO3
Also called: saltpetre, nitre
sodium nitrate in British English
noun
a white crystalline soluble solid compound occurring naturally as Chile saltpetre and caliche and used in matches, explosives, and rocket propellants, as a fertilizer, and as a curing salt for preserving food such as bacon, ham, and cheese (E251). Formula: NaNO3
Examples of 'nitre' in a sentence
nitre
Nitre, or saltpetre, is potassium nitrate, the main ingredient of gunpowder.