desalinate

/diˌsæləˈneɪt/

Other forms: desalinated; desalinating

To desalinate something is to remove all the salt from it. It's possible to desalinate ocean water in order to make it drinkable.

Scientists have figured out how to desalinate seawater, making it much more useful to humans. Once you strip away the salt and other minerals that make it undrinkable, the water can be used for both drinking and irrigating crops, which can save the lives of people experiencing droughts. It's also sometimes necessary to desalinate soil so that plants can grow in it. Desalinate comes from de-, "undo," and saline, "made of salt."

Definitions of desalinate

1. verb

   remove salt from
   “desalinate water”

   synonyms: desalinise, desalinize, desalt

   antonyms:

   salinate

   add salt to

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature