flotation
/fləʊˈteɪʃ(ə)n
/(also floatation)
noun [mass noun]
1The action of floating in a liquid or gas: the body form is modified to assist in flotation...
- Relaxation massages and flotation assists with muscle relaxation and result in lower HR, BP and improved mood states.
- You can pick out details now; the bright red flotation vests, the faces under the broad sunhats, the stickers that say ‘Cruiser’.
- Polymeric foams have been used for such things as building insulation, flotation devices and furniture cushions.
1.1The separation of small particles of a solid by their different capacities to float.Some of the most common separation techniques are leaching, flotation, filtration, chromatography, and centrifugal force....
- Colloidal phenomena are key in the separation of minerals from their ores by particle flotation.
- This is still a difficult market and it is obvious that the climate is different to the last flotation.
1.2The capacity to float; buoyancy.If you do decide to go for the jacket and salopette option, ensure that the trousers are not buoyant and that all the floatation is in the jacket....
- Because the decking is a solid sheet, providing substantially more flotation, shoes can be smaller and still ride atop the snow like larger wood and lacing snowshoes.
- Using inflatable toys and a PFD for flotation, participants swim down a stretch of the river.
2The process of offering a company’s shares for sale on the stock market for the first time.By contrast with the most recent batch of stockmarket flotations during the dotcom boom, there are no wild valuations this time round....
- His experience encompasses flotations, secondary offerings, private placements and mergers and acquisitions in Britain and Ireland.
- Corporate financiers are looking at a dearth of stockmarket flotations this year and expect to rely on companies disposing of non-core businesses and management buyouts to earn a crust.
Origin
Early 19th century: alteration of floatation (from float) on the pattern of French flottaison. The spelling flot- was influenced by flotilla.