acetate

noun ac·e·tate \ ˈa-sə-ˌtāt \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of acetate

1 : a salt or ester of acetic acid

2 : cellulose acetate; also : something (such as a textile fiber) made from cellulose acetate

3 : a phonograph recording disk made of an acetate or coated with cellulose acetate

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Recent Examples of acetate from the Web

Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods).

— sonja sharp, latimes.com, "At a bar in Brooklyn, would-be foster parents ponder the ethics of taking in migrant children," 27 June 2018
Compresses soaked in an aluminum acetate mixture -- available at pharmacies -- can provide relief for skin irritations.

— caitlin o'kane, CBS News, "Giant hogweed, plant that causes blindness and third-degree burns, discovered in Virginia," 18 June 2018
Photography companies developed a much safer alternative, using acetate in beginning 1909, which become the film of choice for home movie recorders and other amateurs.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "There Are Secrets in the Texas Theatre," 25 May 2018
Butterfly Print Tribute Sunglasses $295 at Versace Thick, sturdy acetate gives this fashion-forward edition added integrity.

— The Cut, "Buy These Sunglasses in Every Color," 24 May 2018
To catch lightning on acetate film is scarcely easier than catching it in a bottle.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "In 1936, Washington got a jolt from a photograph of a monumental lightning strike," 23 May 2018
Here's what happens: When your tequila shots are absorbed into your body, the alcohol gets metabolized into acetate or acetic acid, according to the National Institutes of Health.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "5 Ways Your Diet Can Cause Bad Body Odor," 9 May 2018
To make the series, Pindell marked random configurations of numbers, dots and arrows on sheets of clear acetate, affixed them to the screen using static electricity, and took photographs of the resulting overlay between televised image and drawing.

— lori waxman, chicagotribune.com, "The diverse, dizzying majesty of Howardena Pindell," 25 Apr. 2018
These days—most recently on a press tour promoting the Wes Anderson film Isle of Dogs, Goldblum prefers a pair of thick, trapezoidal, black acetate glasses that playfully anchor his idiosyncratic features and enhance even the simplest outfits.

— liz raiss, GQ, "Jeff Goldblum's Guide to Finding the Right Glasses," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acetate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.