evaporate

English edit

Etymology edit

From Latin ēvapōrātus, perfect passive participle of ēvapōrō (“evaporate”).

Pronunciation edit

(UK, US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɪˈvæp.ə.ɹeɪt/
- Audio (US) (file)
(General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪˈvæp.ə.ɹæɪt/

Verb edit

evaporate (third-person singular simple present evaporates, present participle evaporating, simple past and past participle evaporated)

(transitive, intransitive) To transition from a liquid state into a gaseous state.
Coordinate term: sublimate
(transitive) To expel moisture from (usually by means of artificial heat), leaving the solid portion.
to evaporate apples
(transitive, figuratively) To give vent to; to dissipate.
- c. 1635 (date written), Henry Wotton, “Of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex; and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham: Some Observations by Way of Parallel in the Time of Their Estates of Favour”, in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ. Or, A Collection of Lives, Letters, Poems; […], London: […] Thomas Maxey, for R[ichard] Marriot, G[abriel] Bedel, and T[imothy] Garthwait, published 1651, →OCLC, page 8:
  [M]y lord of Eſſex choſe to evaporate his thoughts in a Sonnet (being his common vvay) to be ſung before the Queen, […]
(intransitive, figurative) To disappear; to escape or pass off without effect.
Near-synonym: go up in smoke
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seditions and Troubles”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
  To give moderate liberty for griefs to evaporate […] is a safe way.
- 1976 April 10, “Now What?”, in Gay Community News, page 4:
  Gay people have belabored on this issue far too long and far too hard to allow the efforts of years to be evaporated through this obscene ruling. Our fights will continue, if not in the courts, then in the legislatures.
- 2011 March 2, Chris Whyatt, “Arsenal 5 – 0 w:Leyton Orient F.C.Leyton Orient”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:
  The hosts initially looked like they lacked a spring in their step, but fears of further agony evaporated in the seventh minute with a goal of typical Arsenal quality.