solute
Americannoun
-
solutes
plural
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of solute
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin solūtus, past participle of solvere to loosen, dissolve. See solve
Explanation
Solute is just a few letters short of solution, a substance that is dissolved in liquid. In science classes, a solute might be part of your experiment. Pronounced "SAHL-yoot," the noun solute has close word relatives in dissolve, soluble, and solid — all of which are rooted in the Latin word solvere, meaning "to loosen." A solute changes state when it is dissolved. In sugar water, the solute is the sugar because it changes from solid to liquid. The water is not a solute.
Vocabulary lists containing solute
Chemistry - Introductory
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Chemistry - High School
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The ACT Science Test: Chemistry Review 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Upon solidification, a phase separation into a pure solvent, here ice, and a solute and particles occurs, with the ice templating the solute/particle phase.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
When a solute’s concentration is equal to its solubility, the solution is said to be saturated with that solute.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
Concentrations may be measured using various units, with one very useful unit being molarity, defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
In this system, the solute cannot pass through the selectively permeable membrane.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013
Osmotic Membranes.—Osmotic membranes were formerly called semi-permeable membranes, being regarded as membranes which allow water to pass through them, but arrest the passage of the solute.
From The Mechanism of Life by Stéphane Leduc
A wide variety of solvents, solutes and particles can be used to create the desired structures, shapes and functionalities.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
These properties are fundamental to the survival of plants as they mediate water and nutrient uptake, govern the distribution of solutes through plants, remove toxins from the cytosol, and recycle valuable sugars.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2023
The endodermis contains a barrier to the movement of solutes and water that is made of lignin, the same material present in wood.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2023
Vascular plants developed a network of cells that conduct water and solutes.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Living beings are but solutions of colloids and crystalloids, and their tissues are built up by the aggregation of these solutes.
From The Mechanism of Life by Stéphane Leduc
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
