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rarefaction

Syllabification: (rar·e·fac·tion)
Pronunciation: /ˌre(ə)rəˈfakSHən/

(also rarifaction)
Definition of rarefaction

noun

  • diminution in the density of something, especially air or a gas.
  • Medicine the lessening of density of tissue, especially of nervous tissue or bone.

Origin:

early 17th century: from medieval Latin rarefactio(n-), from the verb rarefacere 'grow thin, become rare'

rarefaction in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of rarefaction in the British & World English dictionary

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