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.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Iran targeted a power plant and water desalination facility, calling it a threat to its citizens and a dangerous escalation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
This makes escalation more likely, Sheline said, which could result in attacks on infrastructure like desalination plants, which serve as a necessary water supply for parts of Iran, as well as the Gulf countries.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Earlier, Kuwaiti officials said Iranian drone strikes had injured a number of their soldiers, while a power plant and water desalination stations had also been damaged.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Amato questioned whether the desalination plant proposed for Filicudi should be built for the 250 permanent residents or for the "maximum number of tourists that Filicudi can have during the peak of the season".
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 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.
