silver nitrate

noun

: an irritant compound AgNO3 that in contact with organic matter turns black and is used as a chemical reagent, in photography, and in medicine especially as an antiseptic and caustic

Examples of silver nitrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The missing minutes were melted for their silver nitrate, but cinephiles have spent years seeking a print that retained the the footage; TCM even sponsored a trip to Brazil in pursuit of a complete print. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 About 43 minutes included in the director’s cut wound up being destroyed so that the silver nitrate could be retrieved from the physical print. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025 To make a calotype, the operator sensitized a sheet of good-quality writing paper with silver nitrate and potassium iodide. Anika Burgess july 17, Literary Hub, 17 July 2025 But the director kept a copy, shot on highly unstable silver nitrate film, in his freezer. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023 Never mind that silver nitrate is notoriously combustible and emits a gas that can destroy other film emulsions. Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 17 July 2023 That’s incredible because so many movies from that era were filmed on silver nitrate and disintegrated completely, Whitehead told me. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2022 Eddington used silver nitrate photographic plates to capture images of the sky, and the image resolution wasn’t precise. Terena Bell, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silver nitrate was in 1833

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Cite this Entry

“Silver nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silver%20nitrate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

silver nitrate

noun
: a compound used especially in photography and as an antiseptic in medicine

Medical Definition

silver nitrate

noun
: an irritant compound AgNO3 that in contact with organic matter turns black and is used as a chemical reagent, in photography, and in medicine especially as an antiseptic and caustic

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