n. (US saltpeter) potassium nitrate, a white crystalline salty substance used in preserving meat and as a constituent of gunpowder. [ME f. OF salpetre f. med.L salpetra prob. for sal petrae (unrecorded) salt of rock (i.e. found as an incrustation): assim. to SALT]
SALTPETRE
Meaning of SALTPETRE in English
English main colloquial, spoken dictionary. Английский основной разговорный словарь. 2012