nitride

American

[nahy-trahyd, -trid] / ˈnaɪ traɪd, -trɪd /

noun

Chemistry.

a compound, containing two elements only, of which the more electronegative one is nitrogen.

nitride British

/ ˈnaɪtraɪd /

noun

a compound of nitrogen with a more electropositive element, for example magnesium nitride, Mg 3 N 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of nitride

1840–50; nitr- + -ide ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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nitride

BelGaN, based in Belgium, specialized in making gallium nitride semiconductors, which allow for higher voltages compared with silicon-based chips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Chinese companies have tried for at least a decade to acquire European gallium nitride technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Silicon nitride is widely used in optical technology because it can transmit data with relatively little signal loss.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney have demonstrated a new way to control tiny sources of quantum light by twisting atomically thin layers of hexagonal boron nitride.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

It rapidly alters on exposure to the air, probably forming a nitride.

From A Brief Account of Radio-activity by Francis Preston Venable

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023