A phosphate is a chemical compound that contains phosphorus. Phosphates are often used in fertilizers.
phosphate in British English
(ˈfɒsfeɪt)
noun
1.
any salt or ester of any phosphoric acid, esp a salt of orthophosphoric acid
2. (often plural)
any of several chemical fertilizers containing phosphorous compounds
Derived forms
phosphatic (fɒsˈfætɪk)
adjective
Word origin
C18: from French phosphat; see phosphorus, -ate1
phosphate in American English
(ˈfɑsˌfeɪt)
noun
1.
a.
a salt of phosphoric acid containing the trivalent, negative radical PO4
b.
an uncharged ester of this acid
2.
any substance containing phosphates, used as a fertilizer
3. US
a soft drink made with soda water, syrup, and, orig., a few drops of phosphoric acid
Word origin
Fr < (acide) phosphorique < -ate, -ate2
Examples of 'phosphate' in a sentence
phosphate
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Sighing and whistling through her teeth, Mrs Saito climbed into the Dakota and carefully decanted the scattered phosphate into a bucket.
Ballard, J. G. RUSHING TO PARADISE
We can try the phosphate mines to find out who bought the plane.
Brierley, David SKORPION'S DEATH
Nauro is a small island whose principal export is phosphate.
West, Charles STAGE FRIGHT
In other languages
phosphate
British English: phosphate NOUN
A phosphate is a chemical compound that contains phosphorus. Phosphates are often used in fertilizers.
American English: phosphate
Brazilian Portuguese: fosfato
Chinese: 磷酸盐
European Spanish: fosfato
French: phosphate
German: Phosphat
Italian: fosfato
Japanese: リン酸塩
Korean: 인산염
European Portuguese: fosfato
Latin American Spanish: fosfato
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All related terms of 'phosphate'
phosphate rock
any rock, esp. phosphorite, containing large amounts of phosphates , used as a raw material for making fertilizers , phosphorous chemicals , etc.
calcium phosphate
the insoluble nonacid calcium salt of orthophosphoric acid ( phosphoric ( V ) acid): it occurs in bones and is the main constituent of bone ash . Formula: Ca 3 ( PO 4 ) 2
creatine phosphate
phosphocreatine
sodium phosphate
any sodium salt of any phosphoric acid, esp one of three salts of orthophosphoric acid having formulas NaH 2 PO 4 ( monosodium dihydrogen orthophosphate ), Na 2 HPO 4 ( disodium monohydrogen orthophosphate ), and Na 3 PO 4 ( trisodium orthophosphate )
potassium phosphate
any of the three orthophosphates of potassium ( potassium monophosphate ( K 2 HPO 4 ), potassium diphosphate (KH 2 PO 4 ), and tripotassium phosphate (K 3 PO 4 ))
dibasic calcium phosphate
Dibasic calcium phosphate is a white powder or crystalline substance used as a dietary supplement and tableting agent.
pentose phosphate pathway
a sequence of metabolic reactions by which NADPH is synthesized , together with ribose phosphate , part of the synthesis of nucleic acids