Definition of "nitrite" []

• The univalent radical NO2 or a compound containing it, such as a salt or an ester of nitrous acid. (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.

• "There is a liquid called nitrite of amyl -- frequently administered to patients suffering from heart disease."
• "These two kinds are known as the nitrite bacteria and the nitrate bacteria."
• "Dr. Richardson's success in bringing before physicians the remarkable medicinal agent known as nitrite of amyl, led to a request from the British Association for the"