electrolyte
noun
Simple meaning
Any of the different biometal ions that regulate the electric charge on cells and the flow of water across their membranes.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihlehktruhlytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈlɛktɹəlaɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chemistry
A substance that, in solution or when molten, ionizes and conducts electricity.
“The proper amount and distribution of electrolytes in the body is essential for health.”
physiologymedicine
Any of the various biometal ions (such as sodium or chloride) that regulate the electric charge on cells and the flow of water across their membranes, or (metonymically) such an ion's concentration in a bodily fluid, usually and especially blood, blood serum, or urine.
chemistry
A solution containing such substances, which therefore also conducts electricity.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A substance that, in solution or when molten, ionizes and conducts electricity.
Used this way, electrolyte is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
“The proper amount and distribution of electrolytes in the body is essential for health.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Natural pattern: electrolyte in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use electrolyte
- “The proper amount and distribution of electrolytes in the body is essential for health.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Various
Substance / solution
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to A substance that, in solution or when molten, ionizes and conducts electricity.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An equilibrium between the amounts of electrolytes (as calcium and sodium and potassium) that is essential for normal health and functioning.
Dilute sulfuric acid used in storage batteries.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A fixed capacitor consisting of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte.
A cell containing an electrolyte in which an applied voltage causes a reaction to occur that would not occur otherwise (such as the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen).
A fixed capacitor consisting of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- conductivitynoun
- capacitornoun
- capacitancenoun
- conductiveadjective
- cathodenoun
- electrodenoun
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.