noun · 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:/diːˌsælɪˈneɪʃən/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:D IY0 S EY2 L IH0 N EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the removal of salt (especially from sea water)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: desalinization, desalinisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: chemical process, chemical change, chemical action
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 salination English desalination From de- + salination.
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تَقْطِير
(taqṭīr)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Arabic:
إِعْذَاب
(ʔiʕḏāb)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Azerbaijani:
duzsuzlaşdırma
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Azerbaijani:
duzsuzlaşdırılma
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Catalan:
dessalatge
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Chinese Mandarin:
脫鹽 /脱盐
(tuōyán)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Chinese Mandarin:
海水淡化
(hǎishuǐ dànhuà)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Danish:
afsaltning
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Dutch:
ontzilting
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Finnish:
suolanpoisto
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
French:
dessalement
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
French:
dessalage
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
German:
Meerwasserentsalzung
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
German:
Entsalzung
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Greek:
αφαλάτωση
(afalátosi)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Hebrew:
התפלה
(hatpala)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Indonesian:
desalinasi
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Italian:
dissalazione
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Japanese:
脱塩
(datsuen)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Macedonian:
отсолување
(otsoluvanje)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Macedonian:
десалинизација
(desalinizacija)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Malay:
penyahgaraman
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Norman:
dêsalinnâtion
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Norwegian Bokmål:
avsalting
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Polish:
odsalanie
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Romanian:
desărare
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Romanian:
desalinizare
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Russian:
опресне́ние
(opresnénije)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Russian:
десалиниза́ция
(desalinizácija)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Swedish:
avsaltning
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
Ukrainian:
опрі́снення
(oprísnennja)
— process of removing salt from sea water in order to make drinking water
