vaporization

American  

[vey-per-uh-zey-shuhn] / ˌveɪ pər əˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of vaporizing.

2. the state of being vaporized.

3. the rapid change of water into steam, especially in a boiler.

4. Medicine/Medical. a vapor therapy.

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vaporization Cultural  

1. In physics and chemistry, the conversion of a solid or a liquid into a gas. (See boiling point, phases of matter, and sublimation.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• revaporization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of vaporization

First recorded in 1790–1800; vapor + -ization

Explanation

When a liquid changes form into a gas, the process is called vaporization. You can watch vaporization when you boil a pot of water. Vaporization happens in two ways: evaporation and boiling. Evaporation occurs when sunlight shines on water until it changes to vapor and rises into the air. Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid—the steam that comes out of a boiling kettle is actually visible water vapor. Vaporization can be traced back to the Latin vaporem. "a warm exhalation" or "steam."

Related Words

• dispersal
• melting