tribasic

[ trahy-bey-sik ]

/ traɪˈbeɪ sɪk /

Save This Word!

adjective Chemistry.

(of an acid) having three atoms of hydrogen replaceable by basic atoms or groups.

containing three atoms or groups, each having a valence of one, as tribasic sodium phosphate, Na3PO4.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of tribasic

First recorded in 1830–40; tri- + basic

OTHER WORDS FROM tribasic

tri·ba·sic·i·ty

[trahy-bey-sis-i-tee], /ˌtraɪ beɪˈsɪs ɪ ti/, noun

Words nearby tribasic

tribade, tribadism, tribal, tribalism, tri-band, tribasic, tribe, tribelet, tribesman, tribespeople, tribeswoman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use tribasic in a sentence

Being a tribasic acid, it forms acid as well as normal salts.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson
Contrary to what we might expect, this phosphate is less insoluble than the ordinary tribasic or bone phosphate.
Manures and the principles of manuring|Charles Morton Aikman
Morphine itself is a tribasic meconate, and narcotin, of course, another opium derivative.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
Tribasic sodium phosphate alone without the addition of the carbonate will also give good results.
The Mechanism of Life|Stphane Leduc

This salt, which is tribasic, is also formed when1058 the preceding crystallised salts are put into hot water.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for tribasic

tribasic

/ (traɪˈbeɪsɪk) /

adjective

(of an acid) containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms in the molecule

(of a molecule) containing three monovalent basic atoms or groups in the molecule

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

Medical definitions for tribasic

tribasic

[ trī-bā′sĭk ]

adj.

Relating to an acid containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule.

Relating to a base or salt containing three univalent basic atoms or radicals per molecule.