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hydrofracturing

[hahy-droh-frak-cher-ing, hahy-droh-frak-]
noun
  1. hydraulic fracturing.
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Origin of hydrofracturing

First recorded in 1970–75; hydro-1 + fracture + -ing1

hydraulic fracturing

noun
  1. a process in which fractures in rocks below the earth's surface are opened and widened by injecting chemicals and liquids at high pressure: used especially to extract natural gas or oil.
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Also called frack·ing [frak-ing] /ˈfræk ɪŋ/, hy·dro·frack·ing [hahy-droh-frak-ing] /ˈhaɪ droʊˌfræk ɪŋ/, hy·dro·frac·tur·ing [hahy-droh-frak-cher-ing] /ˈhaɪ droʊˌfræk tʃər ɪŋ/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018