nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt How to pronounce nitrate (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Like other dark, leafy green vegetables, beet greens contain nitrates and are high in beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 30 May 2025 Costing more than $114,000 to maintain annually, the refrigerated facility is essential to safeguard nitrate and acetate film stock. Ben Croll, Variety, 7 May 2025 Crucially, Jones’s group figured out how to strip the nitrate from beet juice to create an undetectable placebo, and found that athletes improved their performance when given regular beet juice but not nitrate-free beet juice. Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 19 Apr. 2025 At the Missouri Botanical Garden, ecologist Matthew Albrecht has found that seeds respond variably to different combinations of light, temperature and increased levels of nitrates around them—signaling that vegetation around the seed has decayed, providing nutrients and space for young seedlings. Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for nitrate

Word History

Etymology

French, from nitrique

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nitrate was in 1788

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

nitrate

noun
ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt How to pronounce nitrate (audio)
-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
: a salt or ester of nitric acid

More from Merriam-Webster on nitrate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!