decalcify

American  

[dee-kal-suh-fahy] / diˈkæl səˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

decalcified, decalcifying

1. to deprive of lime or calcareous matter, as a bone.

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verb (used without object)

decalcified, decalcifying

1. to become decalcified.

decalcify British  

/ diːˌkælsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən, diːˈkælsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to remove calcium or lime from (bones, teeth, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• decalcification
  noun
• decalcifier
  noun
• nondecalcified
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of decalcify

First recorded in 1840–50; de- + calcify

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decalcify decalcified

You’ll still need to decalcify your kettle from time to time, though the frequency depends on the hardness of your water.

From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2018

The muscles, no longer required to work against gravity, weaken dangerously, and at the same time bones begin to decalcify.

From Time Magazine Archive

The body parts deteriorated, and the skeletal remains decalcified.

From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2012

On the 11th this second leaf began to re-expand; the fragment was manifestly softened, and Dr. Klein reports, "a great deal of enamel and the greater part of the dentine decalcified."

From Insectivorous Plants by Darwin, Charles

Some surgeons therefore prefer to use a bobbin of decalcified bone or similar soft material, while others rely upon direct suturing of the parts.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

From these facts it is clear that the leaves are very little excited by the fibrous basis of bone, but that the secretion easily and quickly liquefies it, if thoroughly decalcified.

From Insectivorous Plants by Darwin, Charles

Billroth resorted to it, and Senn modified it by substituting decalcified bone-plates for sutures.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)