SUBSTRATE

substrate, substratum

(noun) an indigenous language that contributes features to the language of an invading people who impose their language on the indigenous population; “the Celtic languages of Britain are a substrate for English”

substrate, substratum

(noun) any stratum or layer lying underneath another

substrate, substratum

(noun) a surface on which an organism grows or is attached; “the gardener talked about the proper substrate for acid-loving plants”

substrate

(noun) the substance that is acted upon by an enzyme or ferment

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

substrate (plural substrates)

(biochemistry) What an enzyme acts upon.

(biology) A surface on which an organism grows, or to which an organism or an item is attached.

An underlying layer; a substratum.

(linguistics) A language that is replaced in a population by another language and that influences the language imposed on its speakers.

(plating) A metal which is plated with another metal which has different physical properties.

(construction) A surface to which a substance adheres.

The substance lining the bottom edge of an enclosure.

Synonyms

• underlayer

• (underlying layer; linguistics): substratum

Verb

substrate (third-person singular simple present substrates, present participle substrating, simple past and past participle substrated)

(obsolete, transitive) To strew or lay under.