nitrate

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

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for nitrate

Historical Examples of nitrate

Paint flowers or figures of any kind on a white silk ribbon, with a camel hair pencil, dipped in a solution of nitrate of silver.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Supposing we burned the place, you know, with nitrate of silver, or something like that.
The Trimming of Goosie
James Hopper
For this purpose a standard solution of nitrate of silver isp.
Electricity for Boys
J. S. Zerbe
By this method we find that with maximum yields of nitrate at 143-145 p.ct.
Researches on Cellulose
C. F. Cross
In the spring, nitrate of soda applied in the rows is very helpful.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett

British Dictionary definitions for nitrate

nitrate

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

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

nitrate in Medicine

nitrate

[nī′trāt′, -trĭt]

The univalent radical NO3.
A compound containing such a radical, such as a salt or ester of nitric acid.

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

nitrate in Science

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.