dilatation
dilation, expansion
noun dee-lah-tah-SYOHN Rare
Origin: From Latin 'dilatatio', a widening.
Usage Note
Dilatation is used in both medical contexts (pupil dilation, cervical dilation in childbirth) and physics (thermal expansion of materials). In everyday medical French, a doctor might speak of la dilatation de la pupille when examining eyes. The verb form is dilater, and the reflexive se dilater means 'to expand' or 'to dilate'.
Examples
"La dilatation du col est complète."
Natural Translation
The dilation of the cervix is complete.
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