substrate

[suhb-streyt]

noun

1. a substratum.

2. Biochemistry.,  the substance acted upon by an enzyme.

3. Electronics.,  a supporting material on which a circuit is formed or fabricated.

substrate

/ ˈsʌbstreɪt /

noun

1. biochem the substance upon which an enzyme acts

2. another word for substratum

3. electronics the semiconductor base on which other material is deposited, esp in the construction of integrated circuits

substrate

1. The material or substance on which an enzyme acts.

2. See more at enzyme

3. The surface on or in which plants, algae, or certain animals, such as barnacles or clams, live or grow. A substrate may serve as a source of food for an organism or simply provide support.

Word History and Origins

Origin of substrate¹

First recorded in 1570–80; variant of substratum

Example Sentences

"We shouldn't be scared of them, they're just computers made out of a different substrate of a different material," he said.

From BBC

Beyond the vast knowledge accumulated about its genetics and the tools that make it easy to engineer, the bacterium grows quickly and predictably on a wide variety of substrates.

From BBC

But according to Stamets, “to say that rice substrate, being cultured by mycelium as it grows through it, is just rice, inert or a filler are lies.”

From Los Angeles Times

She says the sought-after polymetallic nodules are themselves home to some creatures, which use them as a substrate.

From BBC

Liu began to wonder if perhaps something else was using pipecolic acid as a substrate, using it up so that there was less left over for the expected production of N-hydroxypipecolic acid.

From Salon