Dechlorinate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove chlorine from a substance, such as water or chemicals, typically to make it safer for use or consumption
2. The process of eliminating chlorine to prevent harmful effects in environmental applications or to improve taste in drinking water
3. A procedure aimed at reducing chlorine levels, often employed in water treatment systems or industrial processes to enhance safety and quality

Etymology: "Dechlorinate" is a plain technical formation, built in English from three parts. The prefix "de-" (from Latin, meaning "down, away from" and, in chemistry, "removal of") is attached to "chlorine," the element named in 1810 by Humphry Davy from the Greek "chlōros," meaning "pale green," a reference to the gas's colour. The suffix "-ate" turns the noun into a verb meaning to treat something so that a substance is affected or removed. The word therefore means, quite literally, to take chlorine away from something. Its most common use is in water treatment, where chlorine added to kill microbes must later be neutralised before the water is used in aquariums, laboratories, or certain industrial processes. The term describes the chemical action itself rather than a historical shift in meaning, so its story is largely the story of its parts.

Synonyms: remove chlorine, decontaminate