v. to remove the salt from (a solution of salt). This term is used in a more general sense than desalinate, which usually refers to the removal of common salt (sodium chloride) from a water solution, such as sea water. Desalt is commonly used to refer to any laboratory or industrial process in which any salt may be removed from a mixture of substances dssolved in a solvent, usually water. It is thus used as a method of purification in chemical processes. The methods for desalting are very varied.
Syn. -- desalinate, desalinize. [ PJC ]