Definition of "nitrify" [ni•tri•fy]

• To oxidize (an ammonia compound) into nitric acid, nitrous acid, or any nitrate or nitrite, especially by the action of nitrobacteria. (verb-transitive)
• To treat or combine with nitrogen or compounds containing nitrogen. (verb-transitive)

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.

• "You could not expect it to nitrify humus while it was also being required to digest organic matter."
• "It can't digest crude organic matter and simultaneously nitrify humus."
• "A thin layer of solution will nitrify sooner than a deep layer, owing to the larger proportion of oxygen available."