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

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that gut microbes can transform nitrate and iron from food into molecules that may help protect against cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

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

Co-author Dr. Charlotte Mills, University of Reading, explained that the findings point to new ways of improving how the body processes nitrate without relying on long-term sugar consumption.

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

She met and married an intense dark man—a man whose fingers were stained with chemicals, mostly silver nitrate.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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 is nitrated into dinitrochlorbenzene, and is then treated with caustic soda to give dinitrophenol.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various

He adds ammonium sulphate or ammonium nitrate to the mixed acids during the operation of nitrating, which he claims destroys the nitrous acid formed according to the equation—

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

Explosives demanded oleum, nitric acid, and nitrating plants, which already existed, standardised, in the factories of the dye combine.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Victor Lefebure

Now, however, vertical iron cylinders, made of cast-iron, are used for the nitrating operation.

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

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 P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The nitrating house is best built of wood, and should have a close-boarded floor, which should be kept scrupulously clean, and free from grit and sand.

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

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