phosphate

[ fos-feyt ]

/ ˈfɒs feɪt /

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noun

Chemistry.

(loosely) a salt or ester of phosphoric acid.
a tertiary salt of orthophosphoric acid, as sodium phosphate.

Agriculture. a fertilizing material containing compounds of phosphorus.

a carbonated drink of water and fruit syrup containing a little phosphoric acid.

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Origin of phosphate

First recorded in 1785–95; phosph- + -ate²

OTHER WORDS FROM phosphate

sub·phos·phate, noun

Words nearby phosphate

phosgenite, phosph-, phosphagen, phosphamidon, phosphatase, phosphate, phosphate group, phosphate rock, phosphatic, phosphatide, phosphatidylcholine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use phosphate in a sentence

They discovered a biochemical phenomenon called reversible protein phosphorylation, in which a natural process adds or removes phosphates in cell proteins.
Edmond Fischer, who won Nobel Prize for discoveries about proteins in cells, dies at 101|Matt Schudel|September 1, 2021|Washington Post
Kalion’s first target is phosphates, because of their immediate commercial applications.
Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes|Leigh Buchanan|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Glucaric acid does the same work as phosphates without feeding those toxic blooms.
Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes|Leigh Buchanan|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Water treatment plants, for example, have long relied on phosphates to prevent corrosion in pipes and to bind with metals like lead and copper so they don’t leach into the water supply.
Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes|Leigh Buchanan|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review

Each strand has a backbone of sugars and phosphate molecules.
Let’s learn about DNA|Bethany Brookshire|April 6, 2021|Science News For Students
Until a year ago, phosphate mining had left gashes up to dozens of meters deep here.
Protecting Nature, Ignoring International Law|Emily L. Hauser|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The usual forms are: (a) Ammoniomagnesium phosphate crystals; (b) acid calcium phosphate crystals; and (c) amorphous phosphates.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
When rapidly deposited, as by artificial precipitation, triple phosphate often takes feathery, star- or leaf-like forms.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The sediment usually contains abundant amorphous phosphates and crystals of triple phosphate and ammonium urate.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
And phosphate of lime is also taken up by water containing carbonic acid, or even common salt in solution.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson
In general, bones may be said to contain about half their weight of phosphate of lime, and 10 or 12 per cent of water.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for phosphate

phosphate

/ (ˈfɒsfeɪt) /

noun

any salt or ester of any phosphoric acid, esp a salt of orthophosphoric acid

(often plural) any of several chemical fertilizers containing phosphorous compounds

Derived forms of phosphate

phosphatic (fɒsˈfætɪk), adjective

Word Origin for phosphate

C18: from French phosphat; see phosphorus, -ate 1

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

Scientific definitions for phosphate

phosphate

[ fŏs′fāt′ ]

A salt or ester of phosphoric acid, containing the group PO4. Phosphates are important in metabolism and are frequently used in fertilizers.