[syn: dilation, dilatation]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Dilatation \Dil`a*ta"tion\, n. [OE. dilatacioun, F. dilatation,
L. dilatatio, fr. dilatare. See Dilate, and cf. 2d
Dilation.]
1. Prolixity; diffuse discourse. [Obs.] "What needeth greater
dilatation?" --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
2. The act of dilating; expansion; an enlarging on al? sides;
the state of being dilated; dilation.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Anat.) A dilation or enlargement of a canal or other
organ.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
dilatation
n 1: the state of being stretched beyond normal dimensions [syn:
dilatation, distension, distention]
2: the act of expanding an aperture; "the dilation of the pupil
of the eye" [syn: dilation, dilatation]