To strip of color; to bleach or cause to lose color or pigmentation gradually.
From de- + colorat- (Latin past participle of colorare, to color), with the prefix reversing the action. A formal or technical term for color removal.
Old photographs decolorate naturally over time as light breaks apart the chemical dyes, which is why archivists must keep priceless photos in darkness to preserve their colors for future generations.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.