phosphate
UK /ˈfɒsfeɪt/ · US /ˈfɑsfeɪt/ noun, verb
Forms phosphates phosphating phosphated
- noun (chemistry) Any salt or ester of phosphoric acid.
- noun (agriculture) Any fertiliser containing phosphate compounds.
- noun Guano (containing high levels of phosphates and harvested for the fertiliser industry).
- noun (US, regional, dated) A carbonated soft drink containing phosphoric acid, often flavored with a fruit-based syrup.
- verb (transitive) To treat or coat with a phosphate or phosphoric acid.
Synonyms
Etymology
From French phosphate. By surface analysis, phosphoric acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).
From phosphoric acid + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A salt of phosphoric acid.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “phosphate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details