flotation

or float·a·tion

[floh-tey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flotation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or state of floating.

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

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.

the science of floating bodies.

Origin of flotation

1800–10; float + -ation; compare French flottaison (see flotsam)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flotation

backing, cornerstone, footing, buttress, groundwork, rod, back, rest, pole, bed, rampart, rib, timber, foothold, stanchion, lining, bedding, stake, stave, prop

Examples from the Web for flotation

Contemporary Examples of flotation

That side now has to be repaired and fitted with flotation devices that will eventually help the wreck float to the surface.
The Raising of the Concordia
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 17, 2013

Historical Examples of flotation

Besides this its power of flotation—suspension in the air—is circumscribed.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
You're high-grading and you should be using a flotation process.
The Great Gray Plague
Raymond F. Jones
"It is about that Sahara flotation, Mr. Jackson," he began rather doubtfully.
The Yellow God
H. Rider Haggard
They've asked me to handle the flotation of stock and the placing of the bonds.
Find the Woman
Arthur Somers Roche
If they do not, we will make our own flotation with help of letter, which I will publish.'
The Transvaal from Within
J. P. Fitzpatrick

British Dictionary definitions for flotation

flotation

floatation

noun

the launching or financing of a commercial enterprise by bond or share issues
the raising of a loan or new capital by bond or share issues

power or ability to float; buoyancy

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

Word Origin and History for flotation

1850s, from float (v.) + -ation. Spelling influenced by French (cf. floatation).

flotation in Medicine

flotation

[flō-tā′shən]

n.

The process of separating different materials, especially minerals, by agitating a pulverized mixture of the materials with water, oil, and chemicals. Differential wetting of the suspended particles causes unwetted particles to be carried by air bubbles to the surface for collection.