substrate

noun

1. An underlying layer; a substratum.
2. The substance lining the bottom edge of an enclosure.

   “The substrate of an aquarium can affect the water's acidity.”

   “Stream substrate affects fish longevity.”

3. A substance acted upon, as by an enzyme.
4. A surface on which an organism grows, or to which an organism or an item is attached.

   “The rock surface of a rockpool is the substrate for a sessile organism such as a limpet.”

   “Detach/subtract [tasks involve] Severing a fixed attachment between environmental objects (or the substrate) or removing object(s) from another unattached object, so the latter is a more useful tool.”

   “Amphisteginids and peneroplids were among the few taxa found in the bay environments, probably due to their preferences for phytal substrates and tolerance to moderate levels of eutrophication.”

5. A language that is replaced in a population by another language and that influences the language imposed on its speakers.
6. A metal which is plated with another metal which has different physical properties.
7. A surface to which a substance adheres.

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive)To strew or lay under.

   “The melted glass being supported by the substrated sand.”

adj

1. Having very slight furrows.