Desulphurs

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Takes sulphur out of a material such as fuel, steel or crude oil so that it contains little or none of the element
2. Strips the sulfur content from a compound, fuel or metal through a chemical or industrial process
3. Eliminates the sulphur present in a substance, often to reduce pollution or improve its quality for later use

Etymology: "Desulphurs" is the third-person singular present form of "desulphur," a verb meaning to remove sulphur from something. The base word is built from "de-," a prefix meaning "removal" or "reversal," attached to "sulphur," the element whose name came into English through Latin "sulphur" and Old French "soufre." Adding "de-" to a noun to form a verb meaning "to remove that substance" is a common pattern in chemistry and metallurgy, and "desulphur" follows it directly. The "-s" ending is simply the standard present-tense marker used with he, she, or it: "he desulphurs the fuel," "the process desulphurs the crude oil."

Synonyms: desulfurizes, desulphurizes