Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A white or colorless crystalline compound, KNO3, used to pickle meat and in the manufacture of pyrotechnics, explosives, matches, rocket propellants, and fertilizers.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chemistry the potassium
salt ofnitric acid , KNO3; used in the production of nitric acid, as afood preservative , and is used intoothpaste for sensitive gums.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive
Etymologies
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Examples
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Instead, the sugar is mixed with potassium nitrate — a mineral substance that is also used to preserve food and make gunpowder — to create a pliable mass that can be molded into a shape to fit the rocket before it hardens.
How Much Sugar Would It Take To Get A Rocket To The Moon? Maggie Koerth 2018
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