noun
ablation
a-BLAY-shun
Ablation (noun) means a medical procedure that destroys a small amount of tissue deliberately, usually with heat, cold or a laser, to treat a condition such as an irregular heartbeat or a tumour. Example: “She had a cardiac ablation to correct the arrhythmia.”
noun
1
A medical procedure that destroys a small amount of tissue deliberately, usually with heat, cold or a laser, to treat a condition such as an irregular heartbeat or a tumour.
"She had a cardiac ablation to correct the arrhythmia."
2
technical The wearing away or loss of material from a surface, as with a glacier losing ice or a spacecraft's heat shield burning away on re-entry.
"Glacier ablation outpaced snowfall that year."
How to use ablation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDestroying or wearing away a small area of tissue or material on purpose.
When to use it
Technical — medicine, geology and engineering.
Common pairings
cardiac ablation
laser ablation
glacier ablation
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She had a cardiac _____ to correct the arrhythmia.
Etymology
From Latin "ablatus," carried away, from "auferre" (to remove).
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for ablation
region
cation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for ablation →
Frequently asked questions
What is ablation?
In medicine, deliberately destroying a small area of tissue — often with heat, extreme cold or a laser — to treat a problem such as an irregular heart rhythm, a tumour or heavy periods.
What is cardiac ablation?
A procedure in which a catheter is threaded to the heart and used to scar the small patch of tissue causing an abnormal rhythm, so the faulty electrical signal can no longer travel through it.
What is the meaning of ablation?
"ablation" (noun) means a medical procedure that destroys a small amount of tissue deliberately, usually with heat, cold or a laser, to treat a condition such as an irregular heartbeat or a tumour.
What is another word for ablation?
Other words for "ablation" include removal, extirpation, excision.
