nitrate

[nahy-treyt, -trit, nahy-treyt]

noun

1. Chemistry.,  a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO 2 or NO 3 .

2. fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.

3. nitrocellulose.

4. Informal.,  nitrate film.

verb (used with object)

nitrated, nitrating 

1. to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.

2. to convert into a nitrate.

nitrate

/ ˈnaɪtreɪt /

noun

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

2. a fertilizer consisting of or containing nitrate salts

verb

1. (tr) to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate

2. to convert or be converted into a nitrate

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

nitrate

1. A salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the group NO ₃. Nitrates dissolve extremely easily in water and are an important component of the nitrogen cycle.

2. Compare nitrite

Other Word Forms

• nitration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrate¹

First recorded in 1785–95; nitr- + -ate ²

Example Sentences

Somehow, he had managed to get his hands on the ingredients for gunpowder - potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal.

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Somehow, he managed to get his hands on the ingredients for gunpowder - potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal.

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The cancelled tests are for so-called inorganic pollutants - substances such as nitrates and phosphates that can indicate sewage or agricultural pollution.

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Three days before Park arrived at his house, according to a federal criminal complaint, Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel.

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That list includes ammonium nitrate, commonly available as a popular fertilizer at farm and garden stores.

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