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.
Adjective substrate (comparative more substrate, superlative most substrate) Having very slight furrows.
Definition of substrate noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. a substance or layer which is under something or on which something happens, for example the surface on which a living thing grows and feeds. Questions about grammar and vocabulary?
SUBSTRATE definition: 1. a substance or surface that an organism grows and lives on and is supported by 2. a substance…. Learn more.
Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exists in the bottom of an aquatic habitat, like dirt, rocks, sand, or gravel
Substrates in Ecology and Microbiology In biology outside of biochemistry, “substrate” often means the physical surface or material an organism lives on or grows from. Soil is a substrate for plant roots. A rock in a stream is a substrate for algae. An agar plate in a lab is a substrate for bacterial colonies.
- The material or substance on which an enzyme acts. See Note at enzyme. 2. The surface on which plants, algae, or certain animals, such as barnacles, live or grow. A substrate may serve as a source of food for an organism or simply provide support.
A substrate is essentially any surface or material on which an organism lives, grows, or to which a substance is applied, adhered, or reacts; therefore, what can be a substrate is remarkably diverse, ranging from soil and rocks in ecosystems to silicon wafers in microelectronics and even intangible concepts like ideas for creative growth.