to descale

5.3

To remove scales from a fish or hard white build-up inside kettles

verb
/dɪˈskeɪl/

: limpiar

Now it's hydrogen ions from the acid that actually do the descaling, not the molecules.

It's very Bony and it's hard to to descale lots of mini scales, but they're big out that they are.

Examples

This residue here is why we descale with cool water from the walk-in and not water from the tap, remember?

The Fantasticks (2000)
It's very Bony and it's hard to to descale lots of mini scales, but they're big out that they are.

Bach and Arthur Podcast
If we think about that impact on the business, we've seen the Consumer business descale as a result, and you're starting to see pressure on margins.

Blog text (15)
Before cooking the fish, make sure to descale it to remove the inedible outer layer.
To keep the coffee machine in good condition, you should descale it regularly to remove mineral buildup.
He had to descale the kettle after using it for months without cleaning.

Synonyms

to scale

vsto descale

3 6.7

To remove the outer plates from a fish before cooking

is used more broadly for fish and for cleaning metal or kettle surfaces

to demineralize

vsto descale

Specialized

1 8.0

To remove minerals and salts from water or teeth

targets outer plates or surface build-up rather than dissolved minerals

How Thorough

to strip

42 2.7

to descale

5.3

to scrape

62 1.2

to scratch

161 1.1

Surface Forms

descale infinitive

descaled past

descaled past participle

descaling present participle

descales third person singular

Morphology

descale = scale (transparent) = de + scale

The prefix 'de-' straightforwardly means removal, so 'descale' clearly means to remove scale from something.

Etymology

Descale starts with de- meaning 'remove' and ends with scale, which means a thin hard 'flake' or 'deposit', like the small skin on a fish or the white build-up in a kettle. So to descale is to take those scales or hard deposits away.