ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating: such as

a

: surgical removal

b

: loss of a part (such as ice from a glacier or the outside of a nose cone) by melting or vaporization

Examples of ablation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More concerning was Carter missing much of last season because of a back injury that started with stiffness and later diagnosed do be a lumbar strain which required an ablation procedure and sidelined him for the remainder of the season after May 26. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2025

At Summit, a research station located near the center of the ice sheet close to its highest point, temperatures soared by six times the global average between 1982 and 2011, forcing the equilibrium line to migrate skyward and widening the ablation zone. —Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 10 Feb. 2025

Hudson had a heart ablation performed to stop that extra pathway. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Nov. 2024

She’s also undergone 30 cryogenic lung ablations—a procedure in which a radiologist uses a needle-like probe to freeze malignant tumors off the lungs. —Julia Ries, SELF, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ablacioun "removal," borrowed from Late Latin ablātiōn-, ablātiō, from Latin ablā-, suppletive stem of auferre "to carry away, remove" + -tiōn-, tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at ablate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating: as

a

: surgical cutting and removal

b

: removal of a part (as the outside of a nose cone) by melting or vaporization

Medical Definition

ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating

especially : surgical removal