denature
de·na·ture/diːˈneɪtjə(ɹ)/verb
denature is spelled D-E-N-A-T-U-R-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (de·na·ture). It appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 121,279th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, denature means “To take away a natural characteristic or inherent property of (a thing or a person)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in denature?
| Letters | 8: D-E-N-A-T-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: de·na·ture |
| In writing | about once in every 16 million words; the 121,279th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is denature?
Denature appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 121,279th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce denature?
- UK /diːˈneɪtjə(ɹ)/
- UK /diːˈneɪt͡ʃə(ɹ)/
- /diːˈnɛː.t͡ʃɐ/
Denature has 3 syllables, split de·na·ture in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-denature.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of denature
- denatures present, singular, he/she/it
- denaturing participle, present
- denatured participle, past
- denaturise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does denature mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To take away a natural characteristic or inherent property of (a thing or a person).
- 2
To add something to (alcohol) that makes it unsuitable for consumption but leaves it suitable for most other purposes.
While you cannot drink denatured alcohol, you can still use it to remove sticker glue from most surfaces.
- 3
To alter its original form or state, especially of a protein, by heat, acidity etc.
- 4
Of double-stranded DNA, specifically to split into two single strands.
- 5
To combine fissile material with nonfissile material in order to prevent its use in an atomic weapon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Denature in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dénaturer |
| Spanish | desnaturalizar |
| German | vergällen , denaturieren |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does denature come from?
Borrowed from French dénaturer. By surface analysis, de- + nature.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).