To remove phosphorus or phosphate compounds from a substance, typically used in metallurgy or water treatment processes.
From de- (remove) + phosphorus (the element) + -ize (to make or treat with). Phosphorus comes from Greek 'phosphoros' meaning 'light-bearing.' The term emerged in 19th-century industrial chemistry when scientists needed to describe chemical purification processes.
This word reveals how chemists create technical language: they take 'phosphorus' (named because it glows in the dark) and add de- to mean 'remove it,' then -ize to turn it into an action. It's like saying 'un-glow' but in a way that makes you sound like a lab scientist!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.