nitrate: Meaning and Definition of

ni•trate

Pronunciation: (n.nī'trāt, -tritv.nī'trāt), [key]
— n., v., -trat•ed, -trat•ing.
—n.
  1. a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO or NO.
  2. fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.
  3. cellulose nitrate, a substance used as a film base in the early days of filmmaking.
  4. See
—v.t.
  1. to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.
  2. to convert into a nitrate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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