Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

amphoteric

[am-fuh-ter-ik]

Origin

adjective Chemistry.

capable of functioning either as an acid or as a base.

Origin:
1840–50; < Greek amphóter(os) (comparative of ámphō both; cognate with Latin ambō) + -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To Amphoteric

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Amphoteric is always a great word to know.

So is vat. Does it mean:

a preparation containing an insoluble dye converted by reduction into a soluble leuco base, or a vessel containing such a preparation

a salt of hydrocyanic acid, such as potassium cyanide, KCN

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

amphoteric (ˌæmfəˈtɛrɪk)

—*adj*
	chem Also: amphiprotic able to function as either a base or an acid

[C19: from Greek amphoteros each of two (from amphō both) + -ic]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

amphoteric

"neither acid nor alkaline," 1849, from Gk. amphoteros "both," variant of amphi- (q.v.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

amphoteric am·pho·ter·ic (ām'fə-těr'ĭk)
adj.
Having the capacity to react as either an acid or a base.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

amphoteric

(ām'fə-těr'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
Capable of reacting chemically as either an acid or a base. Water, ammonia, and the hydroxides of certain metals are amphoteric.

Word Dynamo Rating For Amphoteric

People who can define Amphoteric may know 28,207 words, as many as a 8th grader.

How many words do you know?

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more

Related Words

ampholytic

zincate

Quote Of The Day

"Good writing is always a breaking of the soil, clearing away prejudices, pulling up of sour weeds of crooked thinking, stripping the turf so as to get at what is fertile beneath. It would be amusing to carry the simile further. Those bulbs that flower in the sand and wither! The gay fiction annual that has to be planted again every year! Those experimental plants from Russia, France, and Greenwich Village that are always getting winter killed—confound 'em!—is it worth while planting them again? The stocky perennial that keeps coming up and coming up—so easy to grow and so ugly. Scarlet sage that gives a touch of fiery sin to the edge of the suburbanite's concrete walk! And then the good flowers—as honest as they are beautiful! The well-ordered gar den! The climbing rose that escapes and is the most beautiful of all!"

-Henry Seidel Canby

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help