nitrify
Americanverb (used with object)
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Chemistry, Biology. to oxidize (ammonia, ammonium compounds, or free atmospheric nitrogen) to nitrites and then to nitrates, especially in soil by bacterial or other microbial action.
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Chemistry. to infuse with nitrogen or nitrogen compounds.
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Chemistry. to treat or combine with nitrogen or its compounds.
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Chemistry. (formerly) to convert into niter.
verb
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to treat or cause to react with nitrogen or a nitrogen compound
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to treat (soil) with nitrates
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(of nitrobacteria) to convert (ammonium compounds) into nitrates by oxidation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nitrify
First recorded in 1820–30; from French nitrifier; see nitr-, niter, -i-, -fy
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.
See Examples For:
This is the reason why strong urine solutions do not nitrify.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
A thin layer of solution will nitrify sooner than a deep layer, owing to the larger proportion of oxygen available.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 470, January 3, 1885 by Various
A solution receiving an abundant supply of the ferment will exhibit speedy nitrification, and strong solutions may by this means be successfully nitrified, which with small seedings would prove very refractory.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 470, January 3, 1885 by Various
It follows from this that sulphate of ammonia, the most common of ammoniacal manures, is one of the most speedily nitrified when applied to the soil.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
By making the nitrification intensive, he was able to obtain considerable quantities of carbon from the nitrified solutions by the process of wet combustion.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
It would further seem that the nitrogen of the subsoil is less easily nitrified than that of the surface-soil.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
As we should expect, such a manure as shoddy is very slowly nitrified.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
Called brachialactone, it reduces nitrous oxide emissions by blocking enzymatic pathways in nitrifying bacteria.
From Nature ● Sep. 18, 2013
But then nitrifying soil bacteria go to work, wreaking environmental havoc.
From Nature ● Sep. 18, 2013
The presence of earthworms increases the nitrifying powers of the soil bacteria and decreases putrifaction of the soil.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Finding that under these conditions the nitrifying organism increased enormously and displayed its full vigour, he proceeded further to determine the amount of carbonaceous organic matter formed in solutions after the introduction of the organism.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton
There are apparently several different kinds of nitrifying bacteria with different powers.
From The Story of Germ Life by Conn, H. W. (Herbert William)
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.
