nitre

[ nahy-ter ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. a variant of niter.

nitre

/ ˈnaɪtə /

noun

1. another name for potassium nitrate sodium nitrate

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitre¹

C14: via Old French from Latin nitrum, from Greek nitron natron

Example Sentences

Many of the records come from the Confederate nitre and mining bureau, which was set up to produce saltpeter, among other things.

From Washington Post

In South Carolina, in April 1864, the Confederate government hired 31 enslaved people to work at the Ashley Ferry Nitre Works, outside Charleston.

From Washington Post

On Nov. 13, 1862, the Confederate government advertised in the Charleston Daily Courier for 20 or 30 “able bodied Negro men” to work in the new nitre beds at Ashley Ferry, S.C.

From Washington Post

The nitre beds were large rectangles of rotted manure and straw, moistened weekly with urine, “dung water,” and liquid from privies, cesspools and drains, and turned over regularly, according to accounts at the time.

From Washington Post

I knew my master and his crew was preparing for a stand—they had recipes from you at the College for gunpowder, and they was making experiments in getting nitre from the floors of their tobacco houses.

From Literature