Dictionary
ni•trate
Pronunciation: (
—n.nī'trāt, -trit;
—v.nī'trāt), [key]
—n., v., -trat•ed, -trat•ing.
—
n.
1. Chem.a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO
2 or NO
3.
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. Informal.See
nitrate film.
—
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.