nitrate

[ noun nahy-treyt, -trit; verb nahy-treyt ]

/ noun ˈnaɪ treɪt, -trɪt; verb ˈnaɪ treɪt /

noun

Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO2 or NO3.

fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.

cellulose nitrate, a substance used as a film base in the early days of filmmaking.

Informal. nitrate film.

verb (used with object), ni·trat·ed, ni·trat·ing.

to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.

to convert into a nitrate.

Nearby words

nitra, nitralloy, nitramine, nitramino, nitramino group, nitrate, nitrate film, nitratine, nitrazepam, nitre, nitric

Origin of nitrate

First recorded in 1785–95; nitr- + -ate²

Related formsni·tra·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for nitrate

Nitrate of Silver in solution might be identified by a very large number of tests, since it forms so many insoluble salts.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
If a stronger caustic is necessary, the solid stick of nitrate of silver may be used.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume IV. (of IV.)|Grant Hague
Then add a little solution of nitrate of silver, and there is produced a splendid scarlet color.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, October 1878, No. 12|Various
The discoloration of the skin was like the effects of nitrate of silver.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt

For this purpose a standard solution of nitrate of silver isp.
Electricity for Boys|J. S. Zerbe

British Dictionary definitions for nitrate

nitrate

/ (ˈnaɪtreɪt) /

noun

any salt or ester of nitric acid, such as sodium nitrate, NaNO 3

a fertilizer consisting of or containing nitrate salts

verb

(tr) to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate

to convert or be converted into a nitrate

to undergo or cause to undergo the chemical process in which a nitro group is introduced into a molecule

Derived Formsnitration, noun

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 nitrate

nitrate

1794, from French nitrate (1787) or formed in English from nitre + -ate (3). Related: Nitrates.

Medicine definitions for nitrate

nitrate

[ nī′trāt′, -trĭt ]

n.

The univalent radical NO3.

A compound containing such a radical, such as a salt or ester of nitric acid.

v.

To treat with nitric acid or a nitrate, usually to change an organic compound into a nitrate.

Science definitions for nitrate

nitrate

[ nī′trāt′ ]

A salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the group NO3. Nitrates dissolve extremely easily in water and are an important component of the nitrogen cycle. Compare nitrite.