fractionation
noun
Forms fractionations
- noun (chemistry, uncountable, countable) A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture is divided up into smaller quantities (fractions) in which the composition changes according to a gradient; an instance of this process. “Methane is separated from other hydrocarbons in a gas fractionation plant.”
- noun (radiotherapy) The division of a total dose of radiation into fractions.
- noun (cryptography) A preliminary stage of encryption that divides each plaintext symbol into several ciphertext symbols.
- noun A form of hypnosis where the patient is made to enter and leave a trance state many times in quick succession.
- noun (law) A policy in United States law of dividing communal Native American land into lots by person, which are then subdivided by any heirs to the land.
Synonyms
Etymology
By surface analysis, fraction + -ation, or, by surface analysis, fractionate + -ion.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “fractionation”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details