nitrate
/ˈnaɪˌtɹeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.25 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any salt or ester of nitric acid.
verb
To treat, or react, with nitric acid or a nitrate
Example Sentences
- "Nitrates are most commonly used in fertilizers, especially sodium and potassium nitrates. Numerous water wells have had to be abandoned because of the lack of a way to deal with the problem."
- "The underground water which feeds Britain's springs and rivers and provides a third of its drinking water is becoming seriously polluted with nitrates, causing a threat to wildlife and landing consumers with a big purification bill."
- "The pinkness of bacon – or cooked ham, or salami – is a sign that it has been treated with chemicals, more specifically with nitrates and nitrites."
Etymology
Borrowed from French nitrate.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈnaɪˌtɹeɪt/
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
aluminium nitrate
ammonia nitrate
ammonium nitrate
amyl nitrate
assimilatory nitrate reductase
barium nitrate
beryllium nitrate
cadmium nitrate