substrates

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebiology

   the surface or material on which an organism lives, grows, or is attached

   Grammar: Countable: 'a substrate', 'several substrates'. Often used with 'on' or 'in': 'growing on a substrate'.

   Patterns

   • grow on a substrate
   • attach to a substrate
   • a rocky substrate

   These shellfish attach themselves to hard substrates such as rocks.

   The coral needs a clean substrate to grow on.

   Scientists studied the organisms living on different substrates in the lake.

2. 2nouncountablechemistry

   the substance that an enzyme or other chemical acts on in a reaction

   Grammar: Countable in chemistry: 'an enzyme and its substrate', 'different substrates'.

   Patterns

   • an enzyme acts on a substrate
   • bind to a substrate
   • enzyme-substrate complex

   The enzyme converts its substrate into two simpler molecules.

   Each enzyme usually works with only one specific substrate.

   The reaction stops when the substrate is used up.

3. 3nouncountabletechnical

   the material or base layer that something is built on or printed on

   Grammar: Countable in technical contexts: 'a flexible substrate', 'different substrates'.

   Patterns

   • a flexible substrate
   • printed on a substrate
   • a glass substrate

   The circuits are printed on a thin plastic substrate.

   Different substrates give the paint a different finish.

   The factory uses glass substrates for the screens.

Word forms

Common combinations

a natural substrate

The plant grows best on a natural substrate like bark.

a rocky substrate

Few animals can survive on such a rocky substrate.

enzyme substrate

The enzyme and substrate fit together like a lock and key.

a suitable substrate

You need a suitable substrate before planting the seeds.

Synonyms and how they differ

base

More general and everyday; it can mean the bottom layer, but it does not carry the scientific sense of a growing surface.

medium

In biology, a 'medium' is the substance used to grow cells or bacteria; a substrate is the surface or material they live on.

Word family

substratum noun

A more formal word for an underlying layer or base.

Commonly confused: substrates or substrate vs. substratum?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “substrates”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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