sulfate
n. C / Un. a type of chemical salt that contains sulfur and oxygen. You often see it listed on the back of shampoo bottles or cleaning products.
n. a salt or ester of sulfuric acid, containing the anion SO4 2−. Often used in industrial applications, agriculture, and personal care products.
This shampoo is free from sulfates.
Farmers often apply magnesium sulfate to the soil to help crops grow better when minerals are low.
The concentration of particulate sulfate in the atmosphere can significantly influence cloud formation and contribute to the acidification of rainwater in industrial regions.
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”).
From the above noun, through -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Uncountable when referring to the chemical substance in general; countable when referring to specific chemical varieties or salts.