What does demineralise mean?
To demineralise is to remove minerals from a substance, most commonly by extracting dissolved mineral salts from water but also by stripping calcium and other minerals from bone, teeth, or soil. In industry and science the word is routine: laboratories use demineralised water for experiments, power stations feed it into boilers to prevent scale build-up, and manufacturers rely on it wherever mineral deposits would cause damage. In medicine and dentistry it describes a biological process as well as a deliberate one — acids can demineralise tooth enamel, weakening it until decay sets in, while surgeons may work with demineralised bone matrix prepared in a laboratory. The term is formal and technical rather than conversational, carrying a precise, procedural connotation. Its opposite, remineralise, is equally important: fluoride treatments, for instance, help restore lost minerals. Spelled with -ise in British English and -ize in American English, the word derives ultimately from Latin minerale via French, joined to the Greek-origin prefix de-, meaning removal or reversal.
verbTo remove minerals from something, such as water, soil, or bone. It is most often used of industrial or scientific processes that strip dissolved mineral salts out of a liquid or material.
- To remove mineral salts or dissolved minerals from water, typically by ion exchange, distillation, or reverse osmosis.
- To remove natural minerals from bone, tooth enamel, or other tissue, whether chemically in laboratory preparation or biologically through decay.
- To deplete the mineral content of soil or another material over time.
"The laboratory demineralises all tap water before using it in sensitive chemical analyses."
"Demineralised water is essential in laboratories and steam irons because dissolved salts leave deposits."
"Acid produced by plaque bacteria demineralises tooth enamel, beginning the process of decay."
Your teeth demineralise every time acid attacks them — and remineralise again afterwards, which is exactly why fluoride toothpaste works.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does demineralise come from?
Demineralise is formed within English (and parallel European languages) from the noun mineral, borrowed from Medieval Latin minerale and ultimately from an old Gallic or Celtic root relating to mines, combined with the prefix de-, from Latin, indicating removal or reversal, and the verb-forming suffix -ise, adopted from French -iser and Greek-derived forms. It arose alongside the broader family of technical verbs built on mineral — mineralise, remineralise — during the era of nineteenth- and twentieth-century chemistry and water engineering, when controlled removal of dissolved salts became industrially significant.
Related word forms
How demineralise is actually used
A formal, technical term belonging chiefly to scientific, medical, dental, and industrial registers; everyday speech would more likely say 'remove the minerals'. The -ise spelling is British; American English normally uses -ize (demineralize). The noun form is demineralisation (or demineralization).
Easily confused with demineralise
Remineralise means to restore minerals to a substance — the opposite of demineralise, which strips them out; the two are often paired in dentistry and water-treatment contexts.