lactate
n. uncountablen. a chemical substance that builds up in your muscles when you exercise hard. It is what makes your muscles feel sore and tired after a workout.
n. a salt or ester of lactic acid, produced in the muscles during anaerobic respiration. Often used in the context of physiological fatigue and exercise physiology.
High levels of lactate in the blood can cause muscle pain.
During a sprint, the body produces lactate as a byproduct of energy production when oxygen is low.
While once considered a primary cause of muscle fatigue, modern research suggests that lactate serves as an important energy source for the heart and brain during intense physical exertion.
Borrowed from Latin lactātus, perfect passive participle of lactō (“to suckle, give suck, contain milk”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from lac (“milk”), cognate to Ancient Greek γάλα (gála, “milk”).
From lactic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).