nitrite

noun ni·trite \ ˈnī-ˌtrīt \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of nitrite

: a salt or ester of nitrous acid

Recent Examples of nitrite from the Web

When cooked at high temperatures, nitrite and nitrate preservatives may react with compounds naturally found in meat to trigger the formation of toxins called nitrosamines.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "4 Ways to Make Grilling Healthier This Summer," 1 June 2018
Cyclamates are used as sweeteners, not preservatives; nitrites are used to cure hot dogs, not to dye them.

— New York Times, "Corrections: May 5, 2018," 4 May 2018
Crow said that each week the students test the following water quality parameters: pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, and temperature.

— james ewinger, cleveland.com, "Perry High School students are raising trout (photos, video)," 14 Apr. 2018
The body converts that nitrate to nitrite and then to nitric oxide, which seems to make your muscles work more efficiently during endurance exercise.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "Sunlight May Be the Next Beet Juice," 22 Mar. 2018
And a 1997 study in The Lancet showed that on the skin, nitrite in saliva is converted to nitric oxide, which is antimicrobial.

— erika engelhaupt, National Geographic, "How Dog and Cat 'Kisses' Can Turn Deadly," 24 Oct. 2017
The body digests nitrates and turns it into nitrites, which inhibits red blood cells' ability to carry oxygen.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Farm communities face contaminated water from manure, nitrates, records reveal," 15 Aug. 2017
Out with the nitrates, nitrites, and preservatives; in with the cultured celery juice and cherry powder.

— bryan gruley, Bloomberg.com, "Why the Hatchet Men of 3G Spent $10 Million on a Better Oscar Mayer Weiner," 2 Aug. 2017
In many cases, a preservative was adding cost, so some of that counterbalanced the bigger expenses, like removing nitrates and nitrites from deli meat.

— julie jargon, WSJ, "What Panera Had to Change to Make Its Menu ‘Clean’," 20 Feb. 2017

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