Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

carbonate

American  
[kahr-buh-neyt, -nit, kahr-buh-neyt] / ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt, -nɪt, ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt /

noun

  1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid.


verb (used with object)

carbonated, carbonating
  1. to form into a carbonate.

  2. to charge or impregnate with carbon dioxide.

    carbonated drinks.

  3. to make sprightly; enliven.

carbonate British  

noun

  1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid. Carbonate salts contain the divalent ion CO 3 2–

"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

verb

  1. to form or turn into a carbonate

  2. (tr) to treat with carbon dioxide or carbonic acid, as in the manufacture of soft drinks

"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
carbonate Scientific  
/ kärbə-nāt′ /
  1. A salt or ester of carbonic acid, containing the group CO 3. The reaction of carbonic acid with a metal results in a salt (such as sodium carbonate), and the reaction of carbonic acid with an organic compound results in an ester (such as diethyl carbonate).

  2. Any other compound containing the group CO 3. Carbonates include minerals such as calcite and aragonite.

  3. Sediment or a sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of organic or inorganic carbon from an aqueous solution of carbonates of calcium, magnesium, or iron. Limestone is a carbonate rock.


  1. To add carbon dioxide to a substance, such as a beverage.

Other Word Forms

  • carbonator noun
  • noncarbonate noun
  • noncarbonated adjective
  • semicarbonate adjective
  • uncarbonated adjective

Etymology

Origin of carbonate

1785–95; carbon(ic acid) + -ate 2, later taken as -ate 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Even before the pandemic, bottled water had overtaken External link soda as the nation’s most popular beverage by volume after years External link of decline for carbonated soft drinks—a category where demand remains lumpy.

From Barron's

The researchers point out that much of the calcium carbonate produced by plankton does not sink all the way to the ocean floor.

From Science Daily

“It’s similar to saying you know what’s in Coca-Cola—carbonated water, sugar, and caramel color—yet simply mixing those ingredients together doesn’t come close to recreating the finished product.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Skinny cans of the fruit-flavored, carbonated Beyond Immerse are now for sale by a “test kitchen” announced by the company last fall to offer new products in limited quantities.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this approach, microorganisms produce cement like substances such as calcium carbonate at room temperature.

From Science Daily