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sulfate

American  
[suhl-fayt] / ˈsʌl feɪt /

noun

  • sulfates
    plural
  1. Chemistry. a salt or ester of sulfuric acid.


verb (used with object)

sulfated, sulfating
  1. to combine, treat, or impregnate with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or sulfates.

  2. to convert into a sulfate.

  3. Electricity. to form a deposit of lead-sulfate compound on (the lead electrodes of a storage battery).

verb (used without object)

sulfated, sulfating
  1. to become sulfated.

sulfate Scientific  
/ sŭl′fāt′ /
  1. A salt or ester of sulfuric acid, containing the group SO 4.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of sulfate

From the New Latin word sulphātum, dating back to 1780–90. See sulfur, -ate 2


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:

These veins contain minerals including calcium sulfate and fluorite.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Most volcanic ash has fallen out, but sulfur dioxide injected into the stratosphere produces sulfate aerosols which reflect a significant proportion of the Sun’s energy.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

In the past, diesel fuel was poured around the bases of the trees, and grounds staff said last month that they suspected copper sulfate was dumped into the holes drilled near the roots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The ban sent mining firms scrambling to build plants to process lithium sulfate, a step along the value chain towards battery‑grade materials.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

The treatment is bed rest, which he desperately needs anyway, injections of zinc sulfate, and quinine tablets.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

The sulfates observed at Aram Chaos and Juventae, including ferric hydroxysulfate, probably formed more recently than the surrounding terrain.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026

"We investigated two sulfate-bearing sites near the vast Valles Marineris canyon system that included mysterious spectral bands seen from orbital data, as well as layered sulfates and intriguing geology," said Bishop.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026

As the water disappeared, hydrated ferrous sulfates were left behind.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026

Breached rootless cones identified in the current study show similar occurrences of polyhydrated sulfates, further suggesting the blistered volcanic blanket may be hiding a vast sheet of glacier ice underneath it.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024

This was due to the fact that earlier studies took account only of the sulfur which, on analysis, appeared as sulfates in the ash.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

And even if your diploma is written in Latin it is likely to be made of sulfated cellulose.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

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