carbonate

American  

[kahr-buh-neyt, -nit, kahr-buh-neyt] / ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt, -nɪt, ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt /

noun

1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid.

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verb (used with object)

carbonated, carbonating

1. to form into a carbonate.

2. to charge or impregnate with carbon dioxide.

   carbonated drinks.

3. to make sprightly; enliven.

carbonate British  

noun

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

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verb

1. to form or turn into a carbonate

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

carbonate Scientific  

/ kär′bə-nāt′ /

1. A salt or ester of carbonic acid, containing the group CO ₃. 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).

2. Any other compound containing the group CO ₃. Carbonates include minerals such as calcite and aragonite.

3. 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.

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

Other Word Forms

• carbonator noun
• noncarbonate noun
• noncarbonated adjective
• semicarbonate adjective
• uncarbonated adjective

Etymology

Origin of carbonate

1785–95; carbon(ic acid) + -ate ², later taken as -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices have rebounded from a recent trough, trading around $23,050 a metric ton, according to Dow Jones Market Data, citing Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices rebounded to $23,050 per metric ton, up from $8,475 in June 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Combining these findings, researchers developed a model of Mars' modern chlorine cycle and airborne carbonate formation.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

Some of these animals can photosynthesize like plants; some harvest algae and seawater to make calcium carbonate for their underwater castles; some produce their own light or glow in the dark.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

One day it’s a cluster of rare magnesium hydroxy carbonate; the next it’s a star sapphire that will set a man’s hand on fire if he touches it.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr