Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
superphosphate

superphosphate

1 6.3
A fertilizer that adds phosphorus to soil to help plants grow
  • noun
  • /ˌsuːpərˈfɔːsfeɪt/
  • Specialized
: superfosfato
  • triple superphosphate

Examples

  • Triple superphosphate—$7.83

    Academic text (2000)

  • Farmers often choose superphosphate to enhance the growth of their crops by providing essential phosphorus.

  • Adding superphosphate to the soil helped the garden flourish with vibrant flowers this spring.

  • For optimal results, mix superphosphate into the planting holes before placing the seedlings in the ground.

Synonyms

fertilizer
vssuperphosphate
  • US
97 3.0

Something added to soil to help plants grow

is a specific product made by treating rock to release phosphorus
phosphate
vssuperphosphate
  • Specialized
20 4.0

A salt used in fertilizers to help plants grow and in some foods

is produced by treating rock with acid to make phosphorus available

Surface Forms

superphosphate singular
superphosphates plural

Morphology

superphosphate = phosphate (semi-transparent) = super + phosphate

The formation 'super-' + 'phosphate' is morphologically regular, but the specific technical meaning as an acid-treated fertilizer is specialized and may not be inferable by general learners.

Etymology

The word superphosphate begins with super- meaning 'more', like in supermarket, and ends with phosphate, a form of phosphorus that plants need, so it literally means 'extra phosphate' and is used as a fertilizer to give plants more phosphorus.