detoxification

[ dee-tok-suh-fi-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. Biochemistry. the metabolic process by which toxins are changed into less toxic or more readily excretable substances.
2. the act of detoxifying.
3. the state of being detoxified.
4. detox ( def 7 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of detoxification¹

First recorded in 1900–05; detoxi(cate) + -fication

Example Sentences

First, there would be a detoxification protocol in which poisonous secretions of a frog from the Amazon are dabbed on tiny burn marks on a person’s skin, often inducing nausea and projectile vomiting.

From New York Times

"The fasting cycles lead to profound metabolic changes, which together act as beneficial detoxification mechanisms and help to combat MASH," says Heikenwälder, summarizing the molecular details.

From Science Daily

Nobody knows how people first cracked the problem, but ancient Amazonians devised a complex, multistep process of detoxification that transforms cassava from inedible to delicious.

From Salon

"We believe that the calcium oxalate crystals are a mechanism of detoxification of the plant against the metal," she adds.

From Science Daily

The rounds of tea-washing focused, respectively, on detoxification, rejuvenation and stress relief, nourishment and calming, repairing PH balance and hair loss prevention.

From Los Angeles Times