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flotation

or float·a·tion

[floh-tey-shuh n]
See more synonyms for flotation on Thesaurus.com
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.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for flotation

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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
    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
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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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
flotation in Medicine

flotation

(flō-tā′shən)
n.
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.