nitrate
nounUK /ˈnaɪtreɪt/
US /ˈnaɪtreɪt/
A nitrate is a kind of salt that plants use to grow.
Farmers add nitrate to the soil to help their crops grow.
SYNONYMS
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A salt or ester of nitric acid containing the ion NO3.
Potassium nitrate is used in gunpowder.
3. To treat or combine a substance with nitric acid or a nitrate.
They nitrate the meat to keep its color.
4. A fertilizer containing nitrogen in the form of nitrates.
The garden needs a nitrate to green up the grass.