nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt 

-trət

plural nitrates

1

: a salt or ester of nitric acid

2

: sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate used as a fertilizer

3

: any of several nitric-acid esters of cellulose : nitrocellulose

especially : a product (such as celluloid film) made from cellulose nitrate

In the case of the Clark Gable Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), the nitrate original was destroyed before anyone noticed the transferred soundtrack was out of sync.

—Roy Hemming

Examples of nitrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Others let go were several senior archive curators, library staffers, the nitrate vault manager, and the head of cataloging. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2024

Natural or not, these chemicals can cause the same damage as synthetic nitrates, says Cristian Jimenez Martinez, a biochemist at Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute who authored a recent review on natural preservatives. —Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Lower doses of creatine nitrate may be enough to improve creatine stores.9 In one study, participants took either 1.5 grams of creatine nitrate (low dose), 3 grams of creatine nitrate (high dose), or 3 grams of creatine monohydrate for four weeks. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 23 Oct. 2024

Also gone with the wind were several senior archive curators, library staffers, the nitrate vault manager, and the head of cataloging. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from nitrique

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nitrate

• ammonium nitrate
• amyl nitrate
• cellulose nitrate
• nitrate of soda
• peroxyacetyl nitrate
• potassium nitrate
• silver nitrate
• sodium nitrate

Kids Definition

nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt 

-trət

1

: a chemical compound formed by the reaction of nitric acid with another substance

2

: nitrate of sodium or potassium used as a fertilizer

Medical Definition

nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt, -trət 

: a salt or ester of nitric acid