sulfate

• sulphate (UK)

• IPA^(key): /ˈsʌlfeɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

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”).^[1]

sulfate (plural sulfates) (American spelling)

1. (organic chemistry) Any salt or ester of sulfuric acid.
   • 1982 February 21, “Wulai: Hot springs resort with treasury of culture”, in Free China Weekly‎^[1], volume XXII, number 7, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 2:

     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.

   • 1983, Richard E. Behrman, Victor C. Vaughan, III, Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics‎^[2], W. B. Saunders, →ISBN, page 249:

     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.

   • 2011, Peter Watts, Crysis: Legion, Del Rey, published 2011, →ISBN, page 7:

     The 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.

   • 2018 November 23, Matthew Robinson, “Dimming the sun: The answer to global warming?”, in CNN‎^[3]:

     The 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.

   • 2025 January 29, Ashley Strickland, “Historic asteroid sample reveals the ‘building blocks of life are in fact extraterrestrial in origin,’ scientists say”, in CNN‎^[4]:

     McCoy’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.

From the above noun, through -ate (verb-forming suffix).

sulfate (third-person singular simple present sulfates, present participle sulfating, simple past and past participle sulfated)

1. (American spelling, transitive, chemistry) To treat something with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or with sulfur dioxide.
2. (of a lead-acid battery) To accumulate a deposit of lead sulfate.

• fluates

• Homophones: sulfatent, sulfates

sulfate

1. inflection of sulfater:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

sulfate

1. inflection of sulfatar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative