nitrite
Americannoun
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A salt or ester of nitrous acid, containing the group NO 2. Nitrites are an important component of the nitrogen cycle and are used as food preservatives.
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Compare nitrate
Etymology
Origin of nitrite
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.
Depending on whom you ask, it is either the nitrite preservatives used in these products or the high levels of fat and salt.
From Slate • Aug. 2, 2025
The coroner said the hospital’s chief pharmacist admitted there had been a “complete and total” failure in checks within the pharmacy, which led to a box of sodium nitrite being issued instead of sodium bicarbonate.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024
The ash enriched the seawater, especially with nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, tasty sources of nitrogen for all of your photosynthetic needs.
From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023
Scientists have also studied poisons such as sodium nitrite, but they risk harming other species.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023
I refer to the nitrite of amyl, which, at the time when the first part of this chapter was written, I had not had the opportunity of testing.
From Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it by Anstie, Francis E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
