Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows
or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps
Noun: ablation  a'bley-shun
  1. Surgical removal of a body part or tissue
    "The surgeon performed an ablation of the tumour";
    - extirpation, cutting out, excision
     
  2. The erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers
    "Climate change has accelerated the ablation of polar ice caps"

Derived forms: ablations

Type of: degradation, eating away, eroding, erosion, op [informal], operation, surgery, surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process, wearing, wearing away

Encyclopedia: Ablation