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to denature

to denature

1 8.3
Make alcohol unfit to drink by adding a chemical
  • verb
  • /dɪˈneɪtʃər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desnaturalizar
  • denatured alcohol

Examples

  • Clear drinking alcohol or denatured alcohol can both work; an online search will turn up more specific instructions.

    Blog text (9)
  • Take a gallon of denatured alcohol, pour it in the powder.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Note that you can't use just any alcohol; it has to be a denatured alcohol or at least 95% alcohol.

    Blog text (9)
  • Our good friend Sootch00 recently made a video on how to make your very own mini-stove that burns on denatured alcohol.

    Blog text (16)
  • Stains can be removed by applying denatured alcohol after cleaning your desk surface with mild soap and water.

    Blog text (30)
  • Cover 1000 (30 milligram) ground pseudoephedrine pills with 3-4 inches of denatured alcohol or pure grain alcohol, and let sit for at least several hours.

    Academic text (2006)
  • To clean the surface effectively, use denatured alcohol to remove any grease or grime.

  • For best results, denature the alcohol before using it in your craft projects.

  • You should always denature the alcohol in your lab before conducting experiments to ensure safety.

Synonyms

to contaminate
vsto denature
248 4.9

To make things like water or soil unsafe by adding harmful substances

is done to make it undrinkable while preserving other uses
to toxify
vsto denature
1 8.2

To make something poisonous by adding harmful things

aims to make unusable for drinking without making it poisonous

How Undrinkable

to poison
262 3.3
to denature
  • Specialized
1 8.3
to treat
211 3.2

Surface Forms

denature infinitive
denatured past
denatured past participle
denaturing present participle
denatures third person singular

Morphology

denature = nature (semi-transparent) = de + nature

The morphological relation (de- + nature) is present, but the specific legal/industrial practice of making alcohol unfit for drinking is a specialized meaning that learners may not infer.

Etymology

The word denature comes from the parts de- 'remove' and nature 'natural quality', so it means to take away a thing's natural use. That is why to denature alcohol is to remove its 'drink' nature so it is not fit to drink but can still be used for cleaning.