desaturate
|de-sat-u-rate|
/ˌdiːˈsætʃəreɪt/
removal of saturation
Etymology
'desaturate' originates from Latin elements: the prefix 'de-' (from Latin, meaning 'remove' or 'reverse') combined with 'saturate', which comes from Latin 'saturare' meaning 'to fill' or 'to satisfy'.
'saturate' entered English from Latin 'saturare' (via Old French/Medieval Latin forms) and meant 'to make full'; 'desaturate' was formed in modern English by adding the prefix 'de-' to 'saturate' to express the reversal or removal of saturation.
Initially, Latin 'saturare' meant 'to fill' or 'to sate'; over time 'saturate' kept the idea of 'making full' (including making colors full/strong), while 'desaturate' developed to mean 'to remove that fullness' specifically in contexts such as color (reducing vividness) and chemistry (making a molecule less saturated).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or result of reducing saturation; often expressed as 'desaturation' (the noun form denotes the act or state).
To reduce visual clutter, desaturate the areas that are not focal points.
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Verb 1
to reduce the color saturation of an image or part of an image; make colors less vivid or more muted.
To give the photo a more vintage look, desaturate the background slightly.
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Verb 2
in chemistry or biochemistry, to remove saturation from a molecule (for example, by creating double bonds or removing hydrogen atoms), i.e., to make a compound less saturated.
Enzymes in the liver can desaturate certain fatty acids to form double bonds.
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Last updated: 2025/11/29 16:46