nitrite

[ nahy-trahyt ]

/ ˈnaɪ traɪt /

noun

Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitrous acid.

Nearby words

nitrify, nitrifying bacteria, nitrile, nitrile rubber, nitrilo-, nitrite, nitrituria, nitro, nitro compound, nitro dye, nitro group

Origin of nitrite

First recorded in 1790–1800; nitr- + -ite¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nitrite

Nitrite of ethyl is best made by passing nitrous acid gas into alcohol.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
The true colour of the sub-chloride is that which is exposed beneath an oxygen absorbent such as the nitrite.
The Art and Practice of Silver Printing|H. P. Robinson
Inhalations of nitrite of amyl are said to have been useful.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
The effect, therefore, is not due to any interaction between the vapour of the nitrite and its vehicle.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall

Personally, of all the drugs mentioned, I prefer the nitrite of sodium or the combination just given.
Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension:|Louis Marshall Warfield

British Dictionary definitions for nitrite

nitrite

/ (ˈnaɪtraɪt) /

noun

any salt or ester of nitrous acid

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

Medicine definitions for nitrite

nitrite

[ nī′trīt′ ]

n.

The univalent radical NO2.

A compound containing such a radical, such as a salt or ester of nitrous acid.

Science definitions for nitrite

nitrite

[ nī′trīt′ ]

A salt or ester of nitrous acid, containing the group NO2. Nitrites are an important component of the nitrogen cycle and are used as food preservatives. Compare nitrate.