nitrate

[ noun nahy-treyt, -trit; verb nahy-treyt ]

noun

1. Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO 2 or NO 3 .
2. fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.
3. nitrocellulose ( def ).
4. Informal. nitrate film.

verb (used with object)

, ni·trat·ed, ni·trat·ing.

1. to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.
2. to convert into a nitrate.

nitrate

/ ˈnaɪtreɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of nitric acid, such as sodium nitrate, NaNO 3
2. a fertilizer consisting of or containing nitrate salts

verb

1. tr to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate
2. to convert or be converted into a nitrate
3. to undergo or cause to undergo the chemical process in which a nitro group is introduced into a molecule

nitrate

/ nī′trāt′ /

1. A salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the group NO 3 . Nitrates dissolve extremely easily in water and are an important component of the nitrogen cycle.
2. Compare nitrite

Derived Forms

• niˈtration, noun

Other Words From

• ni·tra·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrate¹

First recorded in 1785–95; nitr- + -ate ²

Example Sentences

The MV Ruby's cargo of 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate will be moved to another vessel at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

From BBC

The ship, owned by Maltese firm Ruby Enterprise, set off from the northern Russian port of Kandalaksha in July - with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on board.

From BBC

Ammonium nitrate is regularly transported around the world and used as fertiliser but is also used in explosives.

From BBC

The ship is carrying seven times the amount of ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut explosion.

From BBC

Recent sampling of drinking water in the Tule area has shown significant numbers of wells with contaminants such as arsenic, nitrate and the carcinogenic chemical 1,2,3-Trichloropropane at levels exceeding safe thresholds.

From Los Angeles Times