amphoteric

[ am-fuh-ter-ik ]

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

Origin of amphoteric

1
1840–50; <Greek amphóter(os) (comparative of ámphō both; cognate with Latin ambō) + -ic

Words Nearby amphoteric

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British Dictionary definitions for amphoteric

amphoteric

/ (ˌæmfəˈtɛrɪk) /


adjective
  1. chem able to function as either a base or an acid: Also: amphiprotic

Origin of amphoteric

1
C19: from Greek amphoteros each of two (from amphō both) + -ic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for amphoteric

amphoteric

[ ăm′fə-tĕrĭk ]


  1. Capable of reacting chemically as either an acid or a base. Water, ammonia, and the hydroxides of certain metals are amphoteric.

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