amphoteric

American

[am-fuh-ter-ik] / ˌæm fəˈtɛr ɪk /

adjective

Chemistry.

capable of functioning either as an acid or as a base.

amphoteric British

/ ˌæmfəˈtɛrɪk /

adjective

Also: amphiprotic. chem able to function as either a base or an acid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

amphoteric Scientific

/ ăm′fə-tĕr′ĭk /

Capable of reacting chemically as either an acid or a base. Water, ammonia, and the hydroxides of certain metals are amphoteric.

Etymology

Origin of amphoteric

1840–50; < Greek amphóter ( os ) (comparative of ámphō both; cognate with Latin ambō ) + -ic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023