substrate
noun
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With its Latin prefix sub-, "below", substrate obviously refers to a layer under something else. Rock may serve as the substrate for the coral in a coral reef. Tiny wafers of silicon (or another semiconductor) serve as the substrate for computer chips. Substrate may also mean subsoil—that is, the layer under the topsoil, lacking in organic matter or humus. Substrate is part of the vocabulary of various other sciences, including chemistry and biology. But although it's mostly a scientific term, writers may also use it to mean simply "foundation"—for instance, when observing that reading is the substrate on which most other learning is based.
Examples of substrate in a Sentence
Ryan McRae, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
To prevent oxidation, these nano-particles may be encapsulated in plastic beads and spread across a conventional plastic (or other material) optical disc substrate.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
The films are formed by a chemical reaction between two gaseous precursor substances, which are introduced to the substrate by turns.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Sep. 2024
To reliably create graphene structures, researchers have turned to chemical vapor deposition, where a carbon gas is deposited onto a heated substrate.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Substrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substrate. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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substrate
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substrate
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