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

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.

Bodies of this kind are known as "amphoteric electrolytes," since they yield both positive and negative ions, if dissociated.

From Project Gutenberg

When the milk is quite fresh it will, owing to its amphoteric condition, change the red litmus paper slightly blue, and the blue litmus paper slightly red.

From Project Gutenberg

Milk has the curious property of being "amphoteric," i.e., it is both slightly acid and slightly alkaline when fresh.

From Project Gutenberg

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