c. 1400, "native sodium carbonate," from Old French nitre (13c.), from Latin nitrum, from Greek nitron, which is possibly of Eastern origin (compare Hebrew nether "carbonate of soda;" Egyptian ntr). Originally a word for native soda, but also associated from Middle Ages with saltpeter (potassium nitrate) for obscure reasons; this became the predominant sense by late 16c.
双语例句
1. They used lumps of nitre, a sodium compound from the ship.
他们使用了船上的硝石块-钠的一种化合物.
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2. To relieve the shortage of salt, people have begun to extract it from nitre.