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lactate

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lactate¹

  • /lækˈteɪt/ UK
  • /ˈlæk.teɪt/ US

Rhymes with -eɪt

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin lactātus, perfect passive participle of lactō (“to suckle, give suck, contain milk”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from lac (“milk”), cognate to Ancient Greek γάλα (gála, “milk”).

verb lactates · lactating · lactated

  1. intransitive To secrete or produce milk.

lactate²

  • /ˈlæk.teɪt/ UK
  • /ˈlæk.teɪt/ US

Where it comes from

From lactic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).

noun lactates

  1. Any salt or ester of lactic acid.
  2. abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of lactate ion

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MLA

"lactate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lactate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lactate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lactate

Chicago

"lactate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lactate.

BibTeX
@misc{lactate_2026,
  title = {lactate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lactate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}