Meanings
sulfate1
plural sulfates · alternative Commonwealth obsolete sulphate
- chemistryAny salt or ester of sulfuric acid.
Another type, also common in the Taipei area has more chlorides than sulfates, and while it is also hot, its flavor is more salty than sour. The springs at Chinshan on the north coast are typical of this type.
1982 February 21, “Wulai: Hot springs resort with treasury of culture”, in Free China Weekly, volume XXII, number 7, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 24 more examples
Iatrogenic poisoning can result from the use of magnesium in the treatment of hypertension or of toxemia of pregnancy; deaths have been reported from the use of magnesium sulfate enemas in megacolon and from oral administration for purging.
1983, Richard E. Behrman, Victor C. Vaughan, III, Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, W. B. Saunders, →ISBN, page 249The whole world's fighting over fresh water like a pack of starving dogs with one stripped bone among them, and then Brazil started shooting all those sulfates into the stratosphere and—well, it was turning out just like the environazis said, only way worse and way fucking faster.
2011, Peter Watts, Crysis: Legion, Del Rey, published 2011, →ISBN, page 7The technique would involve spraying large amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 miles. The scientists propose delivering the sulfates with specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or large naval-style guns.
2018 November 23, Matthew Robinson, “Dimming the sun: The answer to global warming?”, in CNNMcCoy’s team, including 66 researchers across four continents, found the salt and minerals left behind as water on Bennu, or its larger parent asteroid, evaporated. The minerals include sodium phosphates, carbonates, sulfates, chlorides and fluorides, some of which are necessary to the formation of life.
2025 January 29, Ashley Strickland, “Historic asteroid sample reveals the ‘building blocks of life are in fact extraterrestrial in origin,’ scientists say”, in CNNSynonyms: vitriolate
sulfate2
present singular third person sulfates · participle present sulfating · participle past sulfated · past sulfated · alternative Commonwealth obsolete sulphate
- UStransitivechemistryTo treat something with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or with sulfur dioxide.
- To accumulate a deposit of lead sulfate.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny salt or ester of sulfuric acid.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sulfate · noun
- Latinsulphur“sulfur”
- New Latinsulphatum
- Frenchsulfate
- Englishsulfate
From French sulfate, from New Latin sulphatum, taken from the expression acidum sulphatum (“sulfuric acid”), from sulphatus, from Latin sulphur (“sulfur”). The term was first used in 1787 by the French chemist L. B. G. De Morveau. Equivalent to sulf(ur) + -ate (“salt or ester”).
More words from French, New Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →sulfate · verb
From the above noun, through -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сулфат, сулфатизирам
- сулфат (sulfat)any salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- сулфатизирам (sulfatiziram)of lead batteries: to accumulate a deposit of lead sulfate
Catalan sulfat
- sulfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Chinese Mandarin 硫酸鹽 /硫酸盐
- 硫酸鹽 /硫酸盐 (liúsuānyán)any salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Czech síran
- síranany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Dutch sulfaat
- sulfaatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Finnish sulfaatti, sulfatoida
- sulfaattiany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- sulfatoidato treat with sulfuric acid
- sulfatoituaof lead batteries: to accumulate a deposit of lead sulfate
French sulfate
- sulfateany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
German Sulfat
- Sulfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Greek θειικός
- θειικός (theiikós)any salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Hungarian szulfát
- szulfátany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Italian solfato, solfitare
- solfatoany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- solfitareto treat with sulfuric acid
Japanese 硫酸
- 硫酸 (ryūsan)any salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Malay sulfat
- sulfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Māori pākawa ngāwhā, pākawa pungatara
- pākawa ngāwhāany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- pākawa pungataraany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- pākawangāwhāany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Polish siarczan
- siarczanany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Portuguese sulfato
- sulfatoany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Romanian sulfat
- sulfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Russian сульфа́т
- сульфа́т (sulʹfát)any salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Spanish sulfato, sulfatar
- sulfatoany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
- sulfatarto treat with sulfuric acid
- sulfatarof lead batteries: to accumulate a deposit of lead sulfate
Swedish sulfat
- sulfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Turkish sülfat
- sülfatany salt or ester of sulfuric acid
Cite this entry
sulfate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulfate
“sulfate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulfate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sulfate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sulfate.
Source: sulfate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.