chelate

UK: /ˈkiːleɪt/ US: (kē′lāt)

Inflections of 'chelate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

chelates

v 3rd person singular

chelating

v pres p

chelated

v past

chelated

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

che•late  (kē′lāt), adj., n., v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing. 
adj. 

1. Chemistry
   • of or noting a heterocyclic compound having a central metallic ion attached by covalent bonds to two or more nonmetallic atoms in the same molecule.
   • of or noting a compound having a cyclic structure resulting from the formation of one or more hydrogen bonds in the same molecule.
2. Zoology having a chela or chelae.

n. 

3. Chemistry a chelate compound.

v.i. Chem. 

4. Chemistry (of a heterocyclic compound) to react to form a chelate.
5. Chemistry (of a compound) to form a ring by forming one or more hydrogen bonds.

v.t. 

6. Chemistry to combine (an organic compound) with a metallic ion to form a chelate.

• chel(a)¹ + -ate¹ 1820–30

che′lat•a•ble, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chelate / ˈkiːleɪt/ noun

1. a coordination compound in which a metal atom or ion is bound to a ligand at two or more points on the ligand, so as to form a heterocyclic ring containing a metal atom

adjective

1. of or possessing chelae
2. of or denoting a chelate

verb

1. (intransitive) to form a chelate

Etymology: 20th Century: from chela¹