sweet spirits of nitre

noun

An old-fashioned remedy, having ethyl nitrite as a main ingredient, that used to be available as an over the counter drug.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounsweet spirits of nitre (uncountable)

alternative sweet spirit of nitre

  1. uncountablepharmacyAn old-fashioned remedy, having ethyl nitrite as a main ingredient, that used to be available as an over the counter drug.

    In cases of fever a teaspoonful of sweet spirits of nitre in a glass of water taken in small sips at short intervals is most excellent.

    1887, Estelle Mendell, “The Family Medicine Chest”, Good Housekeeping vol. 5, page 62
    1 more example

    The Food and Drug Administration says it is ordering an old-fashioned remedy, sweet spirits of nitre, off the over-the-counter market because it can be fatal to infants and because of a lack of proved effectiveness.

    1980, “F.D.A. Bans Sweet Spirits of Nitre As Ineffective and Possibly Fatal“, The New York Times, October 12, 1980, page 65
Cite this entry
APA

sweet spirits of nitre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweet%20spirits%20of%20nitre

MLA

“sweet spirits of nitre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweet%20spirits%20of%20nitre. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sweet spirits of nitre,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sweet%20spirits%20of%20nitre.

Source: sweet spirits of nitre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.