superphosphate

[ soo-per-fos-feyt ]
/ ˌsu pərˈfɒs feɪt /

noun Chemistry.

Also called acid phosphate. a mixture of calcium acid phosphate and calcium sulfate prepared by treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid: used chiefly as a fertilizer.
Also called triple superphosphate. a mixture prepared with phosphoric acid and containing about 45 percent of soluble phosphates, used as a fertilizer.

Origin of superphosphate

First recorded in 1790–1800; super- + phosphate

Example sentences from the Web for superphosphate

British Dictionary definitions for superphosphate

superphosphate
/ (ˌsuːpəˈfɒsfeɪt) /

noun

a mixture of the diacid calcium salt of orthophosphoric acid Ca(H 2 PO 4) 2 with calcium sulphate and small quantities of other phosphates: used as a fertilizer
a salt of phosphoric acid formed by incompletely replacing its acidic hydrogen atoms; acid phosphate; hydrogen phosphate