ablation

noun ab·la·tion \ a-ˈblā-shən \

Definition of ablation

: 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

Recent Examples of ablation from the Web

Tigers: DH Victor Martinez underwent a heart ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat that caused the five-time All-Star to be hospitalized last month.

— Washington Post, "Roaring 20: Indians tie AL record with 20th straight win," 13 Sep. 2017
Tigers: DH Victor Martinez underwent a heart ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat that caused the five-time All-Star to be hospitalized last month.

— Washington Post, "Roaring 20: Indians tie AL record with 20th straight win," 13 Sep. 2017
Tigers: DH Victor Martinez underwent a heart ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat that caused the five-time All-Star to be hospitalized last month.

— USA TODAY, "Roaring 20: Indians tie AL record with 20th straight win," 12 Sep. 2017
Her four-hour procedure—an ablation that used a catheter threaded from a blood vessel to her heart to freeze the electrical pathways that were causing the irregular rhythm—gave her plenty of time to think.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Turning Irregular Heartbeats Into Music," 22 Sep. 2017
The Tigers announced Saturday that designated hitter Victor Martinez will undergo a season-ending cardiac ablation procedure.

— connor grossman, SI.com, "Victor Martinez to Undergo Season-Ending Heart Procedure," 3 Sep. 2017
Martinez struggled last season, before finishing on the disabled list after having cardiac ablation surgery to address an irregular heartbeat.

— george sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Al Avila: Still possible Tigers' Victor Martinez won't play in 2018," 20 Oct. 2017
One subtype of an arrhythmia may be more dangerous than another, one may be more amenable to ablation and so on.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Turning Irregular Heartbeats Into Music," 22 Sep. 2017
DH Victor Martinez underwent a heart ablation to correct an irregular heartbeat that caused the five-time All-Star to be hospitalized last month.

— tom withers, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Indians beat Tigers 2-0 to tie AL record with 20th straight win," 12 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ablation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ablation

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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