ablation

[ a-bley-shuhn ]

noun

1. the removal, especially of organs, abnormal growths, or harmful substances, from the body by mechanical means, as by surgery.
2. the reduction in volume of glacial ice, snow, or névé by the combined processes of melting, evaporation, and calving. Compare alimentation ( def 3 ).
3. Aerospace. erosion of the protective outer surface ablator of a spacecraft or missile due to the aerodynamic heating caused by travel at hypersonic speed during reentry through the atmosphere.

ablation

/ æbˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the surgical removal of an organ, structure, or part
2. the melting or wearing away of an expendable part, such as the heat shield of a space re-entry vehicle on passing through the earth's atmosphere
3. the wearing away of a rock or glacier

ablation

/ ă-blā′shən /

1. The wearing away or destruction of the outer or forward surface of an object, such as a meteorite or a spacecraft, as it moves very rapidly through the atmosphere. The friction of the air striking the object heats and often melts or burns its outer layers. Spacecraft and missiles are often equipped with heat shields designed to wear away by ablation in order to prevent heat from building up in structurally important parts.
2. The process by which snow and ice are removed from a glacier or other mass of ice. Ablation typically occurs through melting, sublimation, wind erosion, or calving.
3. ◆ The ablation zone is the area of a glacier that has the lowest elevation, where annual water loss is greater than the annual accumulation of snow.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ablation¹

First recorded in 1570–80, ablation is from the Late Latin word ablātiōn- (stem of ablātiō ). See ablate, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of ablation¹

C15: from Late Latin ablatiōn-, from Latin auferre to carry away, remove

Example Sentences

I underwent an endometrial ablation in my 30s, rendering my periods worse than ever.

From The Daily Beast

Besides being a beacon for sledging parties, it was used for ablation measurements.

From Project Gutenberg

Excessive connective-tissue growth, exceptionally met with, is to be treated by ablation with the scissors or knife.

From Project Gutenberg

Each year there must be a very slow sinking of the surface, but the ablation is infinitesimal.

From Project Gutenberg

The fracture of the bones or the ablation of a limb is often observed on animals which have been struck.

From Project Gutenberg

The first step towards this assurance is the ablation of the chronic Shaksperian comparison.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• depletion
• depreciation
• erosion