Definition of "formate" [for•mate]

• A compound, such as a salt or an ester of formic acid, that contains the HCOO- radical. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "While reading the post I found it to be sophisticated and logical, pretty in formate, presentable, AND nevertheless outstanding in content."
• "It is usually converted to a non-toxic chemical called formate, which is excreted in the urine."
• "Actually, astronomers who were recently sifting through thousands of signals from Sagittarius B2, a big dust cloud at the center of our galaxy, found a substance there called ethyl formate, which is the chemical responsible for the flavor of raspberries, and the smell of rum, the drink popular with pirates."