ablative

alternative abl. · alternative Abl.

1. not comparablegrammarApplied to one of the cases of the noun in some languages, the fundamental meaning of the case being removal, separation, or taking away, and to a lesser degree, instrument, place, accordance, specifications, price, or measurement.First known use First attested from around (1350 to 1470).
2. archaicnot comparablePertaining to taking away or removing.First known use Attested from the mid 16ᵗʰ century until the early 18ᵗʰ century.

   Where the heart is forestalled with misopinion, ablative directions are found needful to unteach error, ere we can learn truth.

   1622, Joseph Hall, The Works of Joseph Hall: Sermons, page 123

3. not comparableaerospaceSacrificial, wearing away or being destroyed in order to protect the underlying material, as in ablative paints used for antifouling, or ablative heat shields used to protect spacecraft during reentry. .First known use First attested in 1959.

   The inner layer of warship protection consists of ablative armor plate designed to "boil away" when heated. The vaporized armor material scatters a DEW beam, rendering it ineffectual.

   2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Weapons: Ablative Armor Codex entry

4. not comparablemedicineRelating to the removal of a body part, tumor, or organ.First known use First attested in the mid 20ᵗʰ century.
5. not comparablegeographyRelating to the erosion of a land mass; relating to the melting or evaporation of a glacier.First known use First attested in the mid 20ᵗʰ century.

plural ablatives · alternative abl. · alternative Abl.

1. grammarThe ablative case.First known use First attested around 1350 to 1470.
2. An ablative material.First known use Mid 20ᵗʰ century.