dilation
dilation Lexical Profile
dilation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The action, process, or condition of becoming wider, larger, or more open, especially of an anatomical opening or tubular structure such as the pupil of the eye, a blood vessel, or the cervix.
"The optometrist administered eye drops to induce pupil dilation before examining the patient's retina."
A geometric transformation that alters the size of a figure by a constant scale factor from a fixed center point without changing its shape.
"In geometry class, the students practiced graphing the dilation of a triangle using a scale factor of two."
The act of speaking or writing at great length on a subject; discursive elaboration.
"His lengthy dilation on the minor clauses of the treaty tested the patience of the entire committee."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Dilation" and "dilatation" are largely interchangeable in medicine, though "dilation" is far more common in general usage, whereas "dilatation" is sometimes preferred in technical contexts to denote an abnormal or permanent anatomical enlargement.
• Rhymes for dilation
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old French from Late Latin dilationem, a shortening of dilatationem ("a widening or spreading out"), from Latin dilatare ("to spread out"), formed from dis- ("apart") and latus ("wide").