Standard Lemma guide

desalinate

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /diːˈsælɪneɪt/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To remove the salt from something, especially from seawater for use in a domestic water supply

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

remove salt from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • desalinate water

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: desalt, desalinize, desalinise

Antonyms: salinate

Broader terms: change

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h1 Proto-Indo-European *déh1 Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English saline Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English salinate English desalinate From de- + salinate.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: duzsuzlaşdırmaq — remove the salt from something
  • Catalan: dessalar — remove the salt from something
  • Catalan: dessalinitzar — remove the salt from something
  • Danish: afsalte — remove the salt from something
  • Finnish: poistaa suola — remove the salt from something
  • Finnish: desalinoida — remove the salt from something
  • French: dessaler — remove the salt from something
  • Galician: desalgar — remove the salt from something
  • German: entsalzen — remove the salt from something
  • Greek: αφαλατώνω (afalatóno) — remove the salt from something
  • Greek: ξαρμυρίζω (xarmyrízo) — remove the salt from something
  • Ido: dessalizar — remove the salt from something
  • Italian: desalinizzare — remove the salt from something
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avsalte — remove the salt from something
  • Polish: odsalać — remove the salt from something
  • Polish: odsolić — remove the salt from something
  • Romanian: desaliniza — remove the salt from something
  • Serbo-Croatian: odsoliti — remove the salt from something
  • Spanish: desalar — remove the salt from something
  • Spanish: desalinizar — remove the salt from something
  • Vietnamese: khử muối — remove the salt from something
  • Walloon: dissaler — remove the salt from something