Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

flotation

American  
[floh-tey-shuhn] / floʊˈteɪ ʃən /
Rarely floatation

noun

  1. an act or state of floating.

  2. the launching of a commercial venture, bond issue, loan, etc.

  3. Metallurgy. a process for separating the different minerals in a mass of powdered ore based on their tendency to sink in, or float on, a given liquid.

  4. the science of floating bodies.

flotation British  
/ fləʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

    1. the launching or financing of a commercial enterprise by bond or share issues

    2. the raising of a loan or new capital by bond or share issues

  2. power or ability to float; buoyancy

  3. Also called: froth flotation.  a process to concentrate the valuable ore in low-grade ores. The ore is ground to a powder, mixed with water containing surface-active chemicals, and vigorously aerated. The bubbles formed trap the required ore fragments and carry them to the surface froth, which is then skimmed off

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of flotation

First recorded in 1800–10; float + -ation; compare French flottaison ( flotsam )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.