What does desalinate mean?
Desalinate is a transitive verb meaning to remove salt from a substance, most commonly from seawater or brackish water so that it becomes suitable for drinking, irrigation, or industrial use. It is a technical term that appears frequently in discussions of water scarcity, engineering, and climate adaptation: coastal nations such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Australia rely on large facilities that desalinate millions of litres each day. Derived directly from the Latin root 'sal' (salt), the word belongs to a family that includes saline, salinity, and desalination. While the verb itself is somewhat formal, its noun form 'desalination' is widely used in everyday news reporting. Antonyms such as salinize describe the opposite process of adding salt. As freshwater supplies grow strained in many parts of the world, this word has become increasingly relevant to conversations about sustainability and infrastructure.
verbTo remove salt from something, especially seawater or brackish water, in order to make it usable for drinking, irrigation, or industrial purposes.
- To remove salt from seawater or brackish water to make it fresh and usable.
- (More generally) To remove salts or excess minerals from any substance.
"The coastal city built a new plant to desalinate seawater and secure its drinking supply."
"Israel relies heavily on plants that desalinate Mediterranean seawater for its municipal supply."
"The new membrane technology can desalinate groundwater at a fraction of the previous cost."
The word 'desalinate' hides a Latin root — 'sal', meaning salt — the same root that gives us 'salary': Roman soldiers were once said to be paid an allowance to buy salt.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of desalinate
Desalinate derives from the prefix 'de-' (meaning removal or reversal) combined with 'salinate', from Latin 'sal' meaning salt. The related adjective 'saline' entered English in the late Middle English period via Old French from the same Latin root. Cognates sharing the 'sal' root include salary (from Latin 'salarium'), sauce, sausage, and salad, all ultimately connected to salt.
Related word forms
How desalinate is actually used
A formal, technical term common in environmental science, engineering, and policy discussions. The noun form 'desalination' is considerably more frequent than the verb itself.
Easily confused with desalinate
'Desolate' means deserted or bleak, while 'desalinate' means to remove salt from water or another substance.