methylate

American  

[meth-uh-layt] / ˈmɛθ əˌleɪt /

noun

1. Also called methoxide. any derivative of methyl alcohol, as sodium methylate, CH 3 ONa.

2. any compound containing the methyl group.

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verb (used with object)

methylated, methylating

1. (in a compound) to replace (one or more hydrogen atoms) with the methyl group.

2. to mix with methyl alcohol, as in the denaturation of ethyl alcohol.

methylate British  

/ ˈmɛθɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to mix with methanol

2. to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction in which a methyl group is introduced into a molecule

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noun

1. another name for methoxide

methylate Scientific  

/ mĕth′ə-lāt′ /

1. An organic compound having the general formula CH ₃ OR, in which R is a metal. Methylates are formed by replacing the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group (OH) of methyl alcohol with a metal.

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1. To combine with the methyl radical.

Other Word Forms

• methylation
  noun
• methylator
  noun
• unmethylated
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of methylate

First recorded in 1825–35; methyl- + -ate ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

methylate methylated

RBPs methylate miRNA to inhibit its function and thus stop mRNA degradation.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Well-dried hydroxylamine hydrochloride is dissolved in methyl alcohol and mixed with sodium methylate; a solution of methyldichloramine in absolute ether is then added and an ethereal solution of diazomethane distils over.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

Last night, however, I managed to secure and methylate a good-sized scorpion.

From Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, by Ernest Giles

The latter is then made to methylate a product, aniline, derived indirectly from coal-tar.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Raphael Meldola

They form unstable addition products with sodium ethylate or methylate.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

"We found that the machinery required to create pyrrolysine is widespread in the Archaea, especially amongst these methanogenic archaea that consume methylated amines," said Shalvarjian, now a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026

Thus, DNA polymerase is able to remove the wrongly incorporated bases from the newly synthesized, non- methylated strand.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Some of the methylated or unmethylated spots made sense, such as tags on genes involved in cell adhesion that might influence how easily a fertilized egg splits into two embryos.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 28, 2021

In addition to prescription medications, she used methylated spirits, tea tree oil, and even put toothpaste on the spots.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2020

The spray was a 25 per cent DDT concentrate suspended in a solvent containing methylated naphthalenes.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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