phosphate

phosphate — noun

1. a substance with phosphorus in it, often a phosphoric-acid salt or ester, used i

1.nounC1
Definition

a substance with phosphorus in it, often a phosphoric-acid salt or ester, used in fertilizers and other products

Example

Farmers spread phosphate on the field before planting corn.

collocation: spread phosphate on a field

In science class, Maya tested the river water for phosphate.

pattern: test water for phosphate

Common collocations
  • phosphate fertilizer
  • phosphate level
  • calcium phosphate
  • test for phosphate
  • add phosphate
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

contain phosphate

test for phosphate

add phosphate to soil

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when speaking about the substance in general, especially in farming, water testing, and product labels. In technical writing, the plural 'phosphates' can mean different phosphate compounds.

Common Mistakes

Phosphate is one of the basic chemical elements plants need.
Phosphorus is the element plants need, and phosphate is a common compound form of it.
Use 'phosphorus' for the element or nutrient name; use 'phosphate' for compounds often found in fertilizer, soil, and water tests.
The report found many phosphate in the river.
The report found a lot of phosphate in the river.
When you mean the substance in general, 'phosphate' is usually uncountable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Phosphate is a specific chemistry word for a compound containing phosphorus, often the form added to soil or measured in water. Phosphorus is the element itself, so it belongs in science talk about elements, while phosphate is the compound name you see on product labels and lab reports. Fertilizer is much broader: it means any product used to help plants grow, and a fertilizer may contain phosphate together with other nutrients. Nitrate is another nutrient often checked in soil and water, but it contains nitrogen, not phosphorus. So say 'The lab found phosphate in the pond,' but 'Phosphorus is an element' and 'The farmer bought fertilizer.'

phosphate ↗phosphorus ↗fertilizer ↗nitrate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • phosphate fertilizer
  • phosphate level
  • phosphate rock
  • phosphate compound

Phrases

  • add phosphate to soil
  • test for phosphate
  • contain phosphate

Prepositions

  • phosphate in water
  • phosphate in soil
  • phosphate for plant growth

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Phosphate entered English as a scientific word through French phosphate. It was built from phosphorus, the name of the element, and the chemistry ending -ate, which is often used in names for salts and related compounds.