substrate

noun

sub·​strate ˈsəb-ˌstrāt 

1

: substratum

2

: the base on which an organism lives

the soil is the substrate of most seed plants

3

: a substance acted upon (as by an enzyme)

Did you know?

With its Latin prefix sub-, "below", substrate obviously refers to a layer under something else. Rock may serve as the substrate for the coral in a coral reef. Tiny wafers of silicon (or another semiconductor) serve as the substrate for computer chips. Substrate may also mean subsoil—that is, the layer under the topsoil, lacking in organic matter or humus. Substrate is part of the vocabulary of various other sciences, including chemistry and biology. But although it's mostly a scientific term, writers may also use it to mean simply "foundation"—for instance, when observing that reading is the substrate on which most other learning is based.

Examples of substrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When submerged in seawater, the substrates release ions that coral seem to respond to. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024

The company also plans to manufacture solar cells by melting patches of the moon’s surface, forming a glassy substrate, and then coating it with aluminum, silicon, and aluminum again. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024

In Alaska, where permafrost is thawing into a substrate more akin to a waterbed, roads can resemble an undulating line of ribbon candy. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2024

The game of chess doesn’t depend on its physical substrate. —Oshan Jarow, Vox, 15 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin substratum

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

substrate

noun

sub·​strate ˈsəb-ˌstrāt 

1

: an underlying layer: as

a

: substratum sense a

b

: the base on which an organism lives or over which it moves

the soil is the substrate of most plants

2

: a substance acted upon (as by an enzyme)

Medical Definition

substrate

noun

sub·​strate ˈsəb-ˌstrāt 

1

: substratum sense 1

2

: the base on which an organism lives

3

: a substance acted upon (as by an enzyme)