Ablation

n.	1.	A carrying or taking away; removal.
	2.	(Med.) Extirpation.
	3.	(Geol.) Wearing away; superficial waste.

Noun	1.	ablation - surgical removal of a body part or tissue Synonyms: cutting out, extirpation, excision
	2.	ablation - the erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers

abrasion, abrasive, absorption, abstraction, assimilation, atomization, attrition, breakup, buffing, burning up, burnishing, chafe, chafing, consumption, corrosion, crumbling, decay, decomposition, decrease, decrement, deduction, degradation, deliquescence, depletion, depreciation, detrition, digestion, dilapidation, disintegration, disjunction, disorganization, dissipation, dissolution, drain, dressing, eating up, erasure, erosion, evaporation, exhaustion, expending, expenditure, filing, finishing, fretting, galling, grazing, grinding, impoverishment, incoherence, ingestion, leakage, limation, loss, polishing, purification, rasping, ravages of time, refinement, removal, resolution, rubbing away, sandblasting, sanding, scouring, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, scrub, scrubbing, scuff, shining, shrinkage, smoothing, spending, squandering, subduction, sublation, subtraction, taking away, use, using, using up, wastage, waste, wastefulness, wasting away, wear, wear and tear, wearing, wearing away, wearing down, weathering