carbonate

[ noun kahr-buh-neyt, -nit; verb kahr-buh-neyt ]

/ noun ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt, -nɪt; verb ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt /

noun

a salt or ester of carbonic acid.

verb (used with object), car·bon·at·ed, car·bon·at·ing.

to form into a carbonate.

to charge or impregnate with carbon dioxide: carbonated drinks.

to make sprightly; enliven.

Nearby words

carbonade, carbonado, carbonara, carbonari, carbonatation, carbonate, carbonated, carbonation, carbonatite, carbondale, carbonette

Origin of carbonate

1785–95; carbon(ic acid) + -ate², later taken as -ate¹

Related forms

car·bon·a·tor, nounnon·car·bo·nate, nounnon·car·bo·nat·ed, adjectivesem·i·car·bon·ate, adjective

un·car·bon·at·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for carbonate

But thus far the chief reliance of the district is placed upon the carbonate ores of silver.
The Crest of the Continent|Ernest Ingersoll
When nitre, for instance, is burned with carbonaceous matter, the product is carbonate of potash.
Museum of Antiquity|L. W. Yaggy
At all events, it is quite true that all traces of potassa are washed out with the solution of carbonate of sodium.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
Ammonium carbonate, soap, and borax are practically harmless in their effect on the hair.
Principles and Practice of Fur Dressing and Fur Dyeing|William E. Austin

When old, these plants are incrusted with a thin, porous layer of carbonate of lime.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for carbonate

carbonate

noun (ˈkɑːbəˌneɪt, -nɪt)

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

verb (ˈkɑːbəˌneɪt)

to form or turn into a carbonate

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

Word Origin for carbonate

C18: from French, from carbone carbon

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

Word Origin and History for carbonate (1 of 2)

carbonate

1794, from French carbonate "salt of carbonic acid" (Lavoisier), from Modern Latin carbonatem "a carbonated (substance)," from Latin carbo (see carbon).

Word Origin and History for carbonate (1 of 2)

carbonate

1805, "to form into a carbonate," from carbonate (n.) by influence of French carbonater "transform into a carbonate." Meaning "to impregnate with carbonic acid gas (i.e. carbon dioxide)" is from 1850s. Related: Carbonated; carbonating.

Medicine definitions for carbonate

carbonate

[ kär′bə-nāt′ ]

n.

A salt or ester of carbonic acid.

Science definitions for carbonate

carbonate

[ kär′bə-nāt′ ]

Noun

A salt or ester of carbonic acid, containing the group CO3. 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).

Any other compound containing the group CO3. Carbonates include minerals such as calcite and aragonite.

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.

Verb

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