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Definition of: saltpeter
(sôlt′pē′tər) noun
Niter: so called colloquially and in commerce.
—Chile saltpeter Mineral sodium nitrate occurring in beds in a desert region near the boundary of Chile and Peru, but chiefly in Chile. Also salt′pe′tre. [<OF saltpetre <Med. L sal petrae, lit., salt of rock <L sal salt + petra a rock <Gk.]
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