nitrate

American  

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

noun

• nitrates
  plural

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)

• nitrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nitrated,
  past participle,  past
• nitrating
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• nitration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nitrates
  plural

Participles

• nitrating
  present
• nitrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nitrate
  simple
• nitrates
  simple
• have nitrated
  perfect
• has nitrated
  perfect
• am nitrating
  progressive
• are nitrating
  progressive
• is nitrating
  progressive
• have been nitrating
  perfect progressive
• has been nitrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• nitrated
  simple
• had nitrated
  perfect
• was nitrating
  progressive
• were nitrating
  progressive
• had been nitrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nitrate
  simple
• will have nitrated
  perfect
• will be nitrating
  progressive
• will have been nitrating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of nitrate

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nitrate nitrates nitrated nitrating

Alongside the hot weather, the government said "the efforts of the Action for Cleaner Water group and agriculture industry to reduce nitrate use on fields will support the reduction of build-up".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Blood testing also revealed unusually high concentrations of nitrite and nitrate.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

The findings suggest that, under specific conditions, sugary chewing gum can help the body make better use of dietary nitrate found in foods such as beetroot, spinach, and kale.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

The festival is dedicated to screening prints on nitrate film, which was standard in Hollywood through the 1940s but is rarely shown today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

“That photogram was taken with a standard silver nitrate emulsion,” Lord Asriel said.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

There’s scant evidence that nitrates or pesticides are driving Iowa’s rising cancer rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

In 2019, both nitrates and phosphorus regulations were brought together under the Nutrients Action Plan.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

They contain nitrates, high levels of sodium and saturated fats, and aromatic hydrocarbons that increase the risk of cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026

A research group led by Professor Fumiaki Amano at Tokyo Metropolitan University has focused on the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, an emerging method that creates ammonia from nitrates at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025

The danger lies in the increase in nitrates, for the peculiar physiology of the ruminant at once poses a critical problem.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

"This is a common modification we see in biology. However, we found that HGF loses its physiological activity when it becomes nitrated, and this phenomenon accumulates with age."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

One of the most effective ways of doing this is to develop antibodies that bind to the protein and block it from being nitrated in the first place.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

The widespread willingness to forgive pink, nitrated bacon for causing cancer illustrates how torn we feel when something beloved in our culture is proven to be detrimental to health.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2018

When PAHs from a flame mingle with nitrogen, say from a slab of meat, they can form nitrated PAHs, or NPAHs.

From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2014

This list, however, does not exhaust the various substances that have been nitrated and proposed as explosives.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

In some cases the process is carried out in an ordinary nitrating centrifugal, using the latter to effect preliminary drying after acid extraction.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

As the fibres differ greatly in their structure, they require different methods of nitrating.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The nitrating acids are supplied through the pipe m.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

In operating with this apparatus the nitrating acid is introduced into the nitrating vessel by opening the cock of the pipe e.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The top of the tank is closed in with a dome of lead, in which is a small glass window, through which the progress of the nitrating operation can be watched.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

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