Dictionary.com

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.
nitrocellulose.
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.

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Origin of nitrate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM nitrate

ni·tra·tion, noun

Words nearby nitrate

Nitra, Nitralloy, nitramine, nitramino, nitramino group, nitrate, nitrate film, nitratine, nitrazepam, nitre, nitric
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for nitrate

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 forms of nitrate

nitration, 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

Medical 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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.