Depalmitoylation is the process of removing a palmitic acid molecule from a protein. There are a number of synonyms for depalmitoylation, many of which refer directly to the process of removing the palmitate moiety. Some of the most common synonyms include deacylation, decarboxylation, and deesterification. Other synonyms for this process may refer more generally to the modification of proteins, such as protein deprotection, deamination, or dephosphorylation. Regardless of the terminology used, depalmitoylation is an important cellular process that impacts a wide range of cellular functions, including protein trafficking, receptor localization, and signaling pathway regulation.