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desalination

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Etymology and origin of the English word desalination

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1943 More words from the 20th century
Ultimate origin
Latin sāl

Pronunciation

  • UK: /diːˌsælɪˈneɪʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English de- + salination.[2] The Oxford English Dictionary and the Shorter Oxford treat it as the noun of desalinate,[3][4] which is formed from de-, saline and -ate.[3][5][6] Salination, salting, is from a reconstructed type Latin *salīnātio,[3] and the adjective from *salīnus, from sāl (“salt”),[3][4] from Proto-Indo-European *sal- (“salt”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The removal of salt: 1943, according to Etymonline;[2] the Oxford English Dictionary's first quotation is from New Scientist in 1958.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to a small family of 20th-century technical terms for taking salt out of water: the verb desalt is recorded from 1909, and desalinate from 1949.[2][3][5] Salination itself, recorded from 1705, meant salting or soaking in brine,[3][2] and now usually means water or soil becoming saltier.[7] Desalination is used above all of seawater made fit for drinking or for irrigation.[7][1]

Timeline

  • 1943 – the removal of salt.[2] The Oxford English Dictionary's first record is from 1958.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The removal of salt, especially from seawater so that it can be used for drinking or irrigation: a desalination plant on the coast.[7][3][1]

Usage notes

Desalinization and, in British spelling, desalinisation are also used.[7][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Desalination.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/desalination. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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