bicarbonate of soda

1 3.2

A white powder used for baking, cleaning, and to help an upset stomach

noun
/ˌbaɪˈkɑːrbəˌneɪt əv ˈsoʊdə/

: bicarbonato de sodio

To make the fizzy drink, mix bicarbonate of soda with lemon juice.

So all I do is mix a cup of bicarbonate of soda with some water that makes a paste which I then put into the oven.

Examples

The chef recommended using bicarbonate of soda as a natural antacid after meals.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, sugar, salt and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and then set aside.
Got any bicarbonate of soda?

Double Indemnity (1944)
Go across the street to the drugstore, and get me some bicarbonate of soda.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
When you got the stomachache, I'm ready with the bicarbonate of soda.

Hombre (1967)
Margo, you by any chance haven't got any bicarbonate of soda in the house?

All About Eve (1950)
Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and half a teaspoon of salt.
Please add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the cake batter for a better rise.

Synonyms

baking soda

vsbicarbonate of soda

37 1.2

A white powder used in baking, cleaning, and to ease heartburn

is the chemical term focusing on use in food and drinks rather than cleaning

bicarb

vsbicarbonate of soda

4 4.7

A white powder used in baking to make cakes rise and to ease heartburn

is the full, standard compound name rather than the casual short form

sodium bicarbonate

vsbicarbonate of soda

Specialized

1 3.4

A white powder used in baking, to make fizzy drinks, and to relieve heartburn

is the more common household name rather than the formal chemical label

saleratus

vsbicarbonate of soda

Archaic

1 9.9

A white powder used in baking to make dough rise

is the modern common name used today in cooking and for antacid use

sodium hydrogen carbonate

vsbicarbonate of soda

Specialized

3.2

A white powder used in baking to make dough rise and to stop heartburn

is the everyday common name used for baking, antacid, and drinks

Surface Forms

bicarbonate of soda singular

bicarbonate of sodas plural

Morphology

bicarbonate + of + soda

The phrase denotes the bicarbonate form of soda (i.e. the sodium-containing salt), so its meaning is compositionally built from 'bicarbonate' (a salt from carbonic acid) + 'of' + 'soda' and directly points to sodium bicarbonate. This compositional chemistry label is cross-linguistically similar (e.g. Spanish 'bicarbonato de sodio', French 'bicarbonate de soude'), so a B1 learner who already knows the constituent words would be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun bicarbonate of soda is a common white powder whose name shows what it does: bicarbonate makes bubbles when it meets something sour like lemon or vinegar and soda marks it as a household 'soda'. Those bubbles help cakes 'rise', and the same powder can calm a sour stomach, so the name helps you remember its baking and stomach-soothing uses.