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to delead

to delead

1 7.7
To remove the metal lead from things like paint, pipes, or fuel to make them safer
  • verb
  • /ˌdiːˈliːd/
  • Specialized
: eliminar plomo
  • To ensure safety, the workers will delead the old pipes before replacing them.

Examples

  • It's important to delead fuel before it is used in engines to prevent environmental damage.

  • Out of the four alternatives evaluated, the consultant recommended the shrouded power tool to delead the pipe.

    Academic text (1998)
  • This system was stationed in a flat-bed truck during nonpeak hours as the workers deleaded the elevated horizontal section of the water main.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The water main, 24 inches in diameter in most sections and 2,165 feet in length, had approximately 13,515 square feet of surface area that required deleading.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The company hired specialists to delead the paint in the historic building.

Synonyms

to strip
vsto delead
  • Specialized
39 6.3

Remove a substance or part from material like soil

removes that particular toxic metal rather than general components or coatings
to decontaminate
vsto delead
  • Specialized
9 7.0

To remove harmful substances from a place or thing to make it safe

focuses on removing a specific toxic metal for safety and environmental reasons
to decon
vsto delead
  • Jargon
1 8.4

To remove dangerous substances from people, equipment, or areas

targets one toxic metal rather than all hazardous agents
to detoxicate
vsto delead
1 7.5

Take harmful substances out of something to make it safe

aims specifically at removing a particular toxic metal for safety

Surface Forms

delead infinitive
deleading present participle
deleads third person singular
deled past
deled past participle

Morphology

delead = lead (transparent) = de + lead

This is a regular removal verb meaning 'remove lead from', directly built from the noun 'lead' with de-.

Etymology

Delead comes from the prefix de- meaning 'remove' and the metal lead, so to delead is to take lead out of paint, pipes, or fuel to make things safe.