Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
Potassium nitrate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Qualifier: originally
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Sodium nitrate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncommon, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To treat with saltpetre.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
(KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: potassium nitrate, saltpeter, niter, nitre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: nitrate
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sḗh2l Proto-Italic *sāls Latin sāl Pre-Greekder.? Ancient Greek πέτρᾱ (pétrā)bor. Latin petrae Medieval Latin sāl petrae Old French salpetrebor. Middle English saltpetre English saltpetre From Middle English saltpetre, alteration of Old French salpetre, from Medieval Latin sāl petrae (“salt of the rock”), named so being found as an incrustation. Alteration of the first element is from folk-etymological association with salt (which is, nevertheless, cognate to Latin sāl).
