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reactant

[ree-ak-tuh nt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reactant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that reacts.
Also called interactant. Chemistry. any substance that undergoes a chemical change in a given reaction.

RELATED WORDS

impetus, motivation, incentive, stimulant, incitement, reactionary, spur, goad, incendiary, agitator, impulse, incitation, synergist, adjuvant, enzyme, yeast, leaven, ferment

Nearby words

  1. reaches,
  2. reaching jib,
  3. reacquire,
  4. react,
  5. reactance,
  6. reaction,
  7. reaction chamber,
  8. reaction engine,
  9. reaction formation,
  10. reaction of degeneration

Origin of reactant

First recorded in 1925–30; react + -ant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reactant

British Dictionary definitions for reactant

reactant

noun

a substance that participates in a chemical reaction, esp a substance that is present at the start of the reactionCompare product (def. 4)
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
Word Origin and History for reactant

reactant

1901 (n.), 1911 (adj.), from react + -ant.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for reactant

reactant

[rē-ăk′tənt]

n.

A substance participating in a chemical reaction, especially a directly reacting substance present at the start of the reaction.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for reactant

reactant

[rē-ăk′tənt]

A substance participating in a chemical reaction, especially one present at the start of the reaction.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.