dematerialize
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From de- + materialize.
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌdiː.məˈtɪə.ɹɪ.ə.laɪz/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌdi.məˈtɪɹ.i.ə.laɪz/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (AU): (file)
Verb edit
dematerialize (third-person singular simple present dematerializes, present participle dematerializing, simple past and past participle dematerialized) (American spelling, Oxford British English)
- (intransitive) To disappear by becoming immaterial.
- 2002, Piers Anthony, Ogre, Ogre, page 9:
- Nightmares were, after all, a type of demon; they could dematerialize in much the way Fiant did.
- 2016, A.K. Brown, Jumpstart (Champagne Universe Series: Book 1), page 15:
- "So, I'll need you to look at the nth field targeting so when the object dematerializes from here, we can rematerialize it there."
- (transitive) To cause something to disappear by making it immaterial.
- 2009, Etson White, Revelation of God, page 161:
- Some magicians claim they can dematerialize their bodies and re-materialize them in a different location.
- (transitive) To remove the physical materials from (a process, etc.).
- 2013, Mike Friedrichsen, Wolfgang Mühl-Benninghaus, Handbook of Social Media Management:
- Even though the book is still a difficult object to dematerialize and the paper books are not replaceable, the trend seems to be to prefer an e-book rather than a physical book […]
Synonyms edit
- (disappear): disappear, disintegrate, dissolve, vanish
Related terms edit
Translations edit
(intransitive) to disappear by becoming immaterial
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(transitive) to cause to disappear by becoming immaterial
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