sulfate
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to combine, treat, or impregnate with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or sulfates.
-
to convert into a sulfate.
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Electricity. to form a deposit of lead-sulfate compound on (the lead electrodes of a storage battery).
verb (used without object)
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:
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
A new study published in Nature Communications reports the detection of an iron sulfate on Mars that may represent a previously unknown mineral.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
It will reportedly be the first factory in Africa to refine lithium concentrate into lithium sulfate -- a powdered form that is one step closer to the product used in batteries.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
These sulfate groups normally act as a defense, preventing bacteria from breaking it down.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 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 findings indicate that volcanic heat at the Juventae Plateau and geothermal energy beneath Aram Chaos could convert common hydrated sulfates into ferric hydroxysulfate.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
Additional deposits could remain buried under layers of monohydrated sulfates.
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
In general, the sulfur must come in the form of sulfates and the nitrogen in the form of nitrates; although many plants can make use of ammonia for protein-formation.
From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred
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 Slosson, Edwin E.
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.
