Carbonate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑː(ɹ).bə.neɪt/

Definitions

1. An anion consisting of a carbon atom surrounded by three oxygen atoms, which is central to various natural and man-made processes
2. A salt or ester formed from carbonic acid, commonly found in minerals such as calcite and used in various industrial processes
3. A chemical compound that includes the carbonate ion, often found in the composition of rocks and minerals, as well as utilized in environmental and industrial applications

Etymology: The verb "carbonate" is a straightforward chemical coinage: it means to charge a liquid with carbon dioxide, the process that makes soda fizz. Its ingredients are "carbon," the element, and the suffix "-ate," which chemists attached to the names of salts formed from acids whose names end in "-ic." Carbonic acid is the acid in question, so a carbonate is a salt of that acid, and the verb was made by turning that chemical noun back into an action. The element's name has a longer path. It goes back to Latin "carbo," meaning charcoal or coal, which is the substance carbon was first known through. French took the Latin word as "carbone," and English adopted "carbon" from that French form. French chemists then built "carbonate" on the same stem, so the verb is a late descendant of an old word for burnt wood.

Synonyms: fizz, sparkle, effervesce