Dilation: meaning, definitions and examples

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dilation

 

[ daɪˈleɪʃən ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

medical

The action or condition of becoming or being made wider, larger, or more open.

Synonyms

enlargement, expansion, stretching.

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Word Description / Examples
dilation

Medical or scientific scenarios, often referring to the widening or opening of an organ, blood vessel, or pupil.

  • The doctor noted a significant dilation of the patient's pupils.
  • The dilation of blood vessels can help improve circulation.

Examples of usage

  • The dilation of the pupil in response to darkness.
  • Dilation of the cervix during childbirth is a natural process.
  • The doctor prescribed eye drops to help with pupil dilation.
  • The dilation of blood vessels can lead to increased blood flow.
  • Muscle dilation is a common response to exercise.
Context #2 | Noun

mathematics

A transformation that changes the size of a figure, but not its shape.

Synonyms

proportional change, resizing, scaling.

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Word Description / Examples
dilation

Used mostly in medical or physiological contexts, often referring to the expansion or widening of body parts.

  • During the eye exam, the doctor performed a dilation of my pupils
  • Labor involves the dilation of the cervix

Examples of usage

  • The dilation of a square by a scale factor of 2 results in a larger square.
  • In geometry, dilations are used to create similar figures.
  • The concept of dilation is important in studying transformations.
  • A dilation can either enlarge or reduce the size of a shape.
  • The coordinates of a figure are changed during a dilation.

Translations

Translations of the word "dilation" in other languages:

🇵🇹 dilatação

🇮🇳 विस्तार

🇩🇪 Erweiterung

🇮🇩 dilatasi

🇺🇦 розширення

🇵🇱 rozszerzenie

🇯🇵 拡張 (かくちょう)

🇫🇷 dilatation

🇪🇸 dilatación

🇹🇷 genişleme

🇰🇷 확장

🇸🇦 تمدد

🇨🇿 rozšíření

🇸🇰 dilatácia

🇨🇳 扩张 (kuòzhāng)

🇸🇮 dilatacija

🇮🇸 útþensla

🇰🇿 кеңейту

🇬🇪 გაფართოება

🇦🇿 genişlənmə

🇲🇽 dilatación

Etymology

The word 'dilation' originated from the Latin word 'dilatare', which means 'to enlarge or expand'. It has been used in various fields such as medicine, mathematics, and physics. The concept of dilation has been studied extensively in geometry and is an important transformation used in creating similar figures. In medicine, dilation refers to the process of expanding or enlarging a part of the body. Overall, 'dilation' has a rich history and continues to be a significant term in different areas of study.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #17,522, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.