nitrate

American  

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

Etymology

Origin of nitrate

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nitrate nitrates nitrated nitrating

However, the discovery could prove useful for athletes, many of whom already consume beetroot because dietary nitrate has been shown to support exercise performance.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

If we can enhance nitrate conversion, we may be able to improve the physiological benefits that athletes obtain from nitrate-rich foods.

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

Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

We were sitting in chemistry lab, waiting to see what happened when we mixed silver nitrate and salt.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

The NAP was first introduced in 2007 as the Nitrates Action Plan, to comply with the EU nitrates directive.

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

Men who use nitrates to treat cardiac conditions are most at risk when using the products, according to the announcement, which urged customers who purchased the products to stop using them immediately.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

These methods can result in chemicals like nitrates infiltrating drinking water and depriving kids of oxygen in a disease called blue baby syndrome.

From Salon ● May 20, 2024

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

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

"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

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 statement appears to be correct for all kinds of nitrated cellulose powders, whether mixed with nitroglycerin or other substances.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various

The nitrating acids are supplied through the pipe m.

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

Now, when all these fellows go about nitrating their glycerine," said Hawkins serenely, "they simply overlook the scientific principle which I have discovered.

From Mr. Hawkins' Humorous Adventures by Franklin, Edgar, [pseud.]

The interior of this tank contains at least three concentric spirals of at least 1-inch lead pipe, through which water can be made to flow during the whole operation of nitrating.

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

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 Sanford, P. Gerald (Percy Gerald)

Action of nitrating acid upon the benzoates.—From the benzoates above described, mixed nitro-nitric esters are obtained by the action of the mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids.

From Researches on Cellulose 1895-1900 by Cross, C. F.