calcium phosphate
Americannoun
noun
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the insoluble nonacid calcium salt of orthophosphoric acid (phosphoric(V) acid): it occurs in bones and is the main constituent of bone ash. Formula: Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2
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any calcium salt of a phosphoric acid. Calcium phosphates are found in many rocks and used esp in fertilizers
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Any of three powdery phosphates of calcium:
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A colorless powder used in baking powders, as a plant food, as a plastic stabilizer, and in glass. Calcium phosphate is deliquescent, and will dissolve in the water it absorbs from the atmosphere if it is not kept in a closed container. Chemical formula: Ca(H 2 PO 4 ) 2 .
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A white crystalline powder used as an animal food, as a plastic stabilizer, and in glass and toothpaste. Chemical formula: CaHPO 4 .
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A white powder that is used in ceramics, rubber, fertilizers, and for various purposes in the food industry. Chemical formula: Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 .
Etymology
Origin of calcium phosphate
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
Last week, the FDA approved three natural color additives — calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue and butterfly pea flower extract — to replace them.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
In food, calcium phosphate is used as a whitening agent.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
Moreover, Ctdnep1 knockdown also led to increased absorption of calcium phosphate, suggestive of the suppressive role of Ctdnep1 in bone resorption.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
“Nobody had foreseen that you could preserve brains or nervous tissues in calcium phosphate, and maybe it’s just a matter of going back and looking for it in museum drawers.”
From Scientific American ● Oct. 5, 2022
Concrete primed with a 10% mixture of acid calcium phosphate, followed with two coats of No. 119 blue.
From Paint Technology and Tests by Gardner, Henry A.
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.
