Decalcifying

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: [diːˈkæl.sɪf.aɪ.ɪŋ(ɡ)]

Definitions

1. The method of eliminating calcium from body tissues ensures optimal health and often involves the reduction of calcium levels in bones or similar structures to restore normal function
2. The process of extracting calcium compounds from tissues or surfaces to improve function or purity
3. Removing calcium buildup from an area or substance to prevent hardening or damage

Etymology: Decalcifying is the present participle of "decalcify," so it describes the act of removing calcium, usually from bone or tissue. The verb "decalcify" comes from French "décalcifier," which pairs the prefix "de-," meaning removal or reversal, with "calcifier," to turn into calcium-rich matter. Its English base is "calcify," which in turn draws on "calcium," the element named in the early nineteenth century from Latin "calx," meaning lime. The most useful way to see the word is as a chain of two reversals. "Calx" originally meant limestone or lime, the substance produced by heating chalk or stone, and "calcium" was named after that material because the element was first isolated from lime. "Calcify" then took on the sense of hardening into a calcium-containing deposit, and "decalcify" reverses that process, stripping the mineral back out.