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
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Bury the stems about 1 inch deep in the substrate and firm the soil around the cuttings to keep them upright.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2025
Crucially, the new chips can be operated at or near room temperature and on standard semiconductor substrates.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Dec. 2025
Its soft-substrate floor is designed to protect the animals' feet.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for substrate
Cite this Entry
“Substrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substrate. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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substrate
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substrate
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