phosphate
n. C / Un. a chemical compound that contains phosphorus and is often used in fertilizers to help plants grow.
n. a salt or ester of phosphoric acid, containing the trivalent group PO4. Often used in agricultural contexts to refer to mineral fertilizers that provide essential phosphorus to crops.
Farmers use phosphate to help their crops grow faster.
The local river showed high levels of phosphate runoff from the nearby industrial farms.
Excessive phosphate levels in aquatic ecosystems can lead to eutrophication, where rapid algae growth depletes oxygen and threatens the survival of fish populations.
From French phosphate. By surface analysis, phosphoric acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).
From phosphoric acid + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Uncountable when referring to the chemical substance in general; countable when referring to specific chemical varieties or types of fertilizer.