nitrate

American  

[nahy-treyt, -trit, nahy-treyt] / ˈnaɪ treɪt, -trɪt, ˈnaɪ treɪt /

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.

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verb (used with object)

nitrated, nitrating

1. to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.

2. to convert into a nitrate.

nitrate British  

/ 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

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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 Scientific  

/ nī′trāt′ /

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

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Other Word Forms

• nitration noun

Etymology

Origin of nitrate

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

Example Sentences

"He was one of the first filmmakers," said George Willeman, leader of the congressional library's nitrate film vault, who said the recovered reel was likely a third-generation copy of the Melies original.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

To preserve its own supplies, Russia has suspended exports of ammonium nitrate, another nitrogen source for fertilizer.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Potassium nitrate was linked to a 13% increased risk of overall cancer and a 22% higher risk of breast cancer.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

The movie’s recent restoration—courtesy of Photoplay Productions, using materials largely held by the Danish Film Institute—is a revelation thanks to its primary source: amber-toned nitrate prints struck from original camera negatives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Ed McMillan had staged the Rad Lab’s most determined search for the isotope by propping a bottle of granular ammonium nitrate in the path of the thirty-seven-inch machine’s neutron beam for several months.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik