substrate
Americannoun
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a substratum.
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Biochemistry. the substance acted upon by an enzyme.
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Electronics. a supporting material on which a circuit is formed or fabricated.
noun
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biochem the substance upon which an enzyme acts
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another word for substratum
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electronics the semiconductor base on which other material is deposited, esp in the construction of integrated circuits
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The material or substance on which an enzyme acts.
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See more at enzyme
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The surface on or in which plants, algae, or certain animals, such as barnacles or clams, live or grow. A substrate may serve as a source of food for an organism or simply provide support.
Etymology
Origin of substrate
First recorded in 1570–80; variant of substratum
Explanation
A substrate is the base layer of something, or a layer that's underneath another layer. It can also be a surface on which an organism grows or is attached. Substrate also has a linguistic meaning: It's an indigenous language that contributes words or parts of speech to the language of an invading people who have imposed their language on the indigenous people. Throughout the United States, for instance, there are towns with Native American names, because Native American languages form a substrate to American English.
Vocabulary lists containing substrate
ACT Vocabulary List
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Cell Biology - High School
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Unit 3: Cellular Systems
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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.
Of the recently developed Pecorino-like cheese, the lab used a Neurospora mould, but would not say what waste was used as a substrate.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
That makes "a perfect substrate for fermentation," according to Bosco Emparanza, the CEO of Spain's MOA Foodtech.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
These membranes are then transferred onto a receiving substrate that already contains completed circuitry using a roll laminator.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
“Thanks to growing server demand and the increasingly complex design in computing chips, the demand for ABF substrate surged rapidly since 2018,” the analysts said.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
Most juveniles were covered with cow dung or mud and blended so well with the substrate that they were detected only when they moved.
From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by Legler, John M.
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.
