To reduce the saturation of something, typically a color or chemical solution, by making it less intense or pure.
From 'de-' (reduce) + 'saturate' (completely filled). Emerged in chemistry and color theory in the 19th-20th centuries to describe the process of dilution or color weakening.
When you desaturate an image in photo editing, you're literally removing the 'fullness' of color—it's why old photographs look faded, as if time itself has desaturated their vibrant hues.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.