later-, lateral-, -late, -lat, -lation, -lative

1. To remove or dissipate by melting, vaporization, erosion, etc.: The worker was ablating the metal surface with intense heat.

It would appear that the icebergs are ablating faster than scientists had anticipated.

After a heavy rain, the top soil ablates from the field and runs off into the stream.

2. In medicine, to amputate or otherwise to destroy a biological function, for example by removing a bodily tissue with a laser, or by means of burning with electric heat: The doctor ablated the abnormal number of warts that had formed on Colleen's body with electrocautery.

The doctor indicated that she would ablate the lump from Tanya's leg.

After Patrick's crushed foot was ablated in an accident, he learned to walk and to run with a prosthetic foot and shoe.

1. Surgical excisions, removals, or amputations of body parts or tissues: The doctor specialized in the ablation of tumors on the lungs.
2. The erosive processes by which a glacier is reduced by wearing or wasting away: Melting and the breaking off of a mass of ice from its parent glacier or ice shelf are ablations that icebergs undergo during the summer months.
3. In aerospace, the dissipation of heat generated by aerial friction: There are ablations in atmospheric reentries of spacecrafts or missiles with the use of melting heat shields.

1. A reference to the removal of something: The city trash department was charged with the ablative task of clearing the streets after the severe storm.
2. Tending to be removed or vaporized at very high temperatures: The ablative material on the rocket cone fell off.
3. In grammar, applied to one of the cases of the noun in Latin and some other Indo-European languages: The ablative case is the removal, separation, or taking away and indicates the direction away from, or time when.

Grammatical "cases" are changes in form that are made of nouns or pronouns to reflect how they are used in sentences. For example, the noun "men" is changed to "men's" and the noun "woman" is changed to "women's" to show possession. Nouns in English once had several case forms, but the only one used today is the possessive case.

Pronouns continue to change case forms to show their relations to the rest of the elements in a sentence. The three cases of pronouns are "nominative", "objective", and "possessive" cases.

1. The heat shields of space vehicles, which melt or wear away during the reentry into the earth's atmosphere: The scientist created a new ablator which could withstand extreme heat.
2. The outer surface of a spacecraft or missile: "Ablation" is the erosion of the protective outer surface, or ablator, of a spacecraft or missile resulting from aerodynamic heating caused by travel at hypersonic speeds during reentry through the atmosphere.

The ablators on the spacecraft were welded into place using a specialized metal that would withstand great heat.

1. A reference to the world's second largest ocean, which separates Europe and Africa from North and South America; the area includes 82,400,000 sq. km. (31,800,000 sq. mi.): In the novel James was reading there was a horrific Atlantic storm that had been a terrific nightmare for the sailors on the ship.
2. Relating to or bordering the Atlantic Ocean: There are many lovely little towns and villages in France along the Atlantic coast.

Pertaining to a situation that takes place or is behind schedule; done, or sent too late: If something is belated, it comes or happens after the customary or expected time.

Mildred received belated recognition for her scientific discovery of energy-saving devices.

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1. A mass spectrometer, an electromagnetic apparatus for separating isotopes of uranium according to mass.

Its name is a combination of California University + tron (Cal+U+tron) in tribute to the University of California, Ernest O. Lawrence's institution and the contractor of the Los Alamos laboratory. It was developed during the Manhattan Project and was similar to the cyclotron invented by Lawrence.

2. A device that separates isotopes by ionizing the sample, accellerating the ions in a strong electric field, and then passing them through a strong magnetic field.

1. To assemble pages in the correct order before they are made into a document or a book.
2. To bring together pieces of information and compare them in detail in order to arrange information that has been collected into a sensible order.
3. To verify the correct sequencing and completeness of the pages in a book.
4. Etymology: from Latin collatus, conferre, "to bring together", from com-, "together" + -latus, "to bear, to carry".

1. A detailed comparison between different items or forms of information.
2. The assembling of pieces of paper in proper numerical or logical sequence; especially, the sections of a book before binding.
3. The technical description of a book, including its bibliographical details and information about its physical construction, or the act of compiling such a description.

1. A reference to an inclination or intention to waste time, to cause a delay, or to lag behind: Because of the auto accident on the street, it took Monroe a great deal of dilatory time to get home after work.
2. Using cautious slow strategy to wear down the opposition; and so, avoiding direct confrontation and deferring a decision: The congressman, Mr. Gould, used a dilatory strategy to keep the bill from being passed.
3. Etymology: from Latin dilatorius; from dilator, "procrastinator", from dilatus, the past participle form of differe, "to delay". © ALL rights are reserved.
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To make someone very excited and happy: Linda’s agreement to marry Thomas elated and exhilarated his spirits! © ALL rights are reserved.

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A feeling of joy and happiness.

To make or to enact laws.

1. The action of making or giving laws; the enactment of laws, lawgiving; an instance of this.
2. The enactments of a legislator or legislature; the whole body of enacted laws.