Ablation 1
Ablation 1 : (1) (Phys) Removal of material by erosion, evaporation, or reaction for short-term protection against high temperatures. Note: The ablating material forms a thermal barrier to protect the underlying structure. Typical materials in space reentry applications are phenolic and epoxy resins. (2) (Surg) Surgical removal of a part, esp. by cutting, often of abnormal growths or harmful matter from the body