citrate

[si-treyt, sahy-]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a salt or ester of citric acid.

citrate

/ -rɪt, ˈsaɪtreɪt, ˈsɪtreɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of citric acid. Salts of citric acid are used in beverages and pharmaceuticals

citrate

1. A salt or ester of citric acid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of citrate¹

First recorded in 1785–95; citr(ic acid) + -ate ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of citrate¹

C18: from _citr ( _us ) + _-ate ¹

Example Sentences

“American cheese is made with sodium citrate, an emulsifying salt that keeps the cheese creamy and smooth when melted,” she said.

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Sodium citrate — a food-safe salt that binds the cheese and cream together into that iconic velvety texture Kraft first developed back in the 1910s.

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“Magnesium citrate is used before colonoscopies to really get the bowel going,” said Dr. Li.

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Decades ago, to prepare for a colonoscopy, patients first had to clean out their colons using laxatives such as castor oil or magnesium citrate, sometimes over several days.

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Paul Adams, the senior science research editor at Cook’s Illustrated, has written about the stabilizing powers of sodium citrate, an ingredient found in processed cheeses like Velveeta.

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