Meaning & use
desalination
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The process of removing salt from seawater so that it can be used for drinking or farming.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural; you can say 'a desalination plant' but not 'a desalination'.
Patterns
- desalination of seawater
- a desalination plant
The country relies on desalination for most of its drinking water.
Desalination is expensive because it uses a lot of energy.
New desalination technology could help farmers in dry regions.
Common combinations
- desalination plant
- A new desalination plant will supply water to the city.
- seawater desalination
- Seawater desalination is common in the Middle East.
- desalination process
- The desalination process removes salt and other minerals.
- desalination technology
- Improvements in desalination technology have lowered costs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- desalinization
- A less common variant, mostly used in American English; it means the same thing.
Word family
- desalinate verb
- To remove salt from something, especially water.
- desalinated adjective
- Having had salt removed; e.g. desalinated water.
Commonly confused: desalination or salination?
desalination vs salination
Salination is the buildup of salt in soil or water, the opposite problem; desalination removes salt.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'desalination' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Desalination' is an uncountable noun, so it fits in 'the desalination of seawater'. The other options wrongly use it as a verb, with a plural article, or with a plural form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “desalination”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.