Plural: ablations

ETYM Latin ablatio, from ablatus p. p. of auferre to carry away; ab + latus, p. p. of ferre carry: cf. French ablation. Related to Tolerate.
Surgical removal of a body part or tissue; SYN. extirpation, cutting out, excision.
Surgical removal; surgical instrument for removing tissue.
The erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers.
In earth science, the loss of snow and ice from a glacier by melting and evaporation. It is the opposite of accumulation. Ablation is most significant near the snout, or foot, of a glacier, since temperatures tend to be higher at lower altitudes. The rate of ablation also varies according to the time of year, being greatest during the summer. If total ablation exceeds total accumulation for a particular glacier, then the glacier will retreat, and vice versa.
Wearing away of rock or glacier; melting away of expendable part of spaceship or rocket.