noun
- A white crystalline compound of potassium nitrate, used in making gunpowder, fertilizers, and preserving food.
Usage: Also spelled 'niter' in U.S. English; Chemical formula: KNO₃
Examples
- Nitre was a key ingredient in the production of gunpowder during the medieval period.
- The factory used nitre as a preservative in the curing of meat.
- Farmers applied nitre to their fields to improve soil fertility.
- The chemist carefully measured out the nitre for the experiment.
- Nitre deposits were mined extensively in India and exported to Europe.