ablation

n. surgical removal, excision; reduction of the mass of a glacier through the melting and evaporation of snow and ice; burning away of a spacecraft's protective covering during atmospheric reentry

Ablation is defined as the removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporization, chipping, or other erosive processes. The term occurs in space physics associated with atmospheric reentry, in glaciology, medicine and passive fire protection.
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Ablation /ab·la·tion/ 1. separation or detachment; extirpation; eradication. 2. removal or destruction, especially by cutting. ab·la·tion n. [more]Ablation - Community and Resources

Noun
1. surgical removal of a body part or tissue
(synonym) extirpation, cutting out, excision
(hypernym) operation, surgery, surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process
(hyponym) adenoidectomy
(derivation) ablate
2. the erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers
(hypernym) erosion, eroding, eating away, wearing, wearing away
(derivation) ablate

n. ablation, reduction of the mass of a glacier through the melting and evaporation of snow and ice (Geology); surgical removal, excision (Medicine); melting, dissolving into liquid