substrate
noun
Did you know?
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
IEEE Spectrum, 8 June 2025
Substrate Checkmate The fact that cloud-native applications (in so many instances) fail to be wholly integrated with the lower substrate services that underpin them is enough to upset any self-respecting cloud architect.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The company continues to focus on expanding its production capacity and developing new products to meet market demand for high-performance semiconductor substrates.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
The company is also exploring substrate coatings and other industrial applications.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 17 Jan. 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 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
substrate
noun
Medical Definition
substrate
noun
Share