desalination
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Explanation
When salt and other minerals are removed from soil or water, it's called desalination. Desalination can make sea water safe to drink. The term desalination adds the prefix de-, "undo," to salination, "adding salt." The salty heart of the word is saline, "containing or made of salt." The complex process of water desalination involves using electricity or extreme heat, and it's very expensive. Still, many people around the world depend on desalination of ocean water for drinking and watering crops.
Vocabulary lists containing desalination
Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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Marine Biology - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Harner helped launch Vital Lyfe alongside Jonathan Criss, the startup’s CEO, in late 2024 to tackle water scarcity using advanced desalination tech.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
The Persian Gulf is now home to the largest concentration of desalination capacity on earth, producing roughly 40% of the world’s desalinated water.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
Kuwait also reported that an Iranian attack significantly damaged a desalination plant, which supplies drinking water to the region.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The region has become the fastest growing market for electric cars, and China is also the largest investor in desalination in the Middle East, where potable water is scarce.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
Instead they’re scouring the house for empty gallon jugs to bring to the desalination machines.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
