Niter
/ˈnaɪ.tər/noun
A mineral salt, especially potassium nitrate, formerly used in gunpowder and preserved in deposits on walls or soil.
Did you know?Niter was historically one of the key nitrate salts collected from soil and walls, so the word became tied to both alchemy and early explosives long before modern chemistry.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
niter
“A nitrate mineral, especially potassium nitrate.”
Middle English
English
niter
“Niter; saltpeter.”
Late Latin
Latin
nitrum
“Native natron; soda; a natural alkaline salt.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
nitron
“Natron, a naturally occurring mineral soda.”
Possibly Egyptian / Semitic source
Egyptian/Semitic
ntr
“A word for natron or a related alkaline mineral, ultimately borrowed into Greek and Latin.”