ablation
Americannoun
-
the removal, especially of organs, abnormal growths, or harmful substances, from the body by mechanical means, as by surgery.
-
the reduction in volume of glacial ice, snow, or névé by the combined processes of melting, evaporation, and calving.
-
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.
noun
-
the surgical removal of an organ, structure, or part
-
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
-
the wearing away of a rock or glacier
-
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.
-
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.
-
◆ 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.
Etymology
Origin of ablation
First recorded in 1570–80, ablation is from the Late Latin word ablātiōn- (stem of ablātiō ). See ablate, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company said Tuesday that its cardiac ablation products have a “near-term line of sight” to adding $1 billion in revenue to its base business.
From Barron's
The anticoagulant drugs and cardiac ablation procedures for treating atrial fibrillation aren’t without complication, so large studies are trying to determine if the additional arrhythmias found by devices like Zio are truly stroke threats.
From Barron's
Austin said she eventually developed a stress-related heart condition that required ablation surgery.
From Los Angeles Times
Getting another ablation procedure, which could help treat irregular heartbeats by destroying tissue that causes abnormal electrical signals, remains an option after the initial monitoring period.
From Los Angeles Times
The second time, in addition to an ablation, he underwent an electrical cardioversion, in which paddles that supply an electrical current are used to reset the heart’s rhythm back to a regular pattern.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
