désaltérer

"To quench thirst" — almost always used reflexively, se désaltérer, meaning to quench one's own thirst by drinking. A genuinely everyday verb, especially in ads, menus, and summer contexts, distinct from the more general boire (to drink).

• Ce jus de fruits désaltère bien par temps chaud. — This fruit juice really quenches your thirst in hot weather.
• Les randonneurs se sont désaltérés à la fontaine. — The hikers quenched their thirst at the fountain.
• Rien ne désaltère mieux que de l'eau fraîche. — Nothing quenches thirst better than cold water.

Learners often just say boire de l'eau where a native speaker would use se désaltérer to specifically emphasize satisfying thirst, not merely the act of drinking.

• expression "Ça désaltère" — The core phrase of Sprite's long-running French advertising slogans (e.g. "Sprite, ça désaltère, c'est plus clair"), built directly around this verb.