🛳️ Removing magnetism 💾 Erasing data

degaussing

9.9

To reduce a ship's magnetism so it does not set off magnetic mines

noun
/dɪˈɡɔːsɪŋ/

Specialized

: desmagnetización

After the degaussing procedure, the ship became less detectable by enemy submarines.

Examples

The crew learned that degaussing protects against magnetic mines by neutralizing the ship's magnetic field.
Our ship's degaussing system made it less magnetically vulnerable, but the experience was still nerve-racking.

Academic text (1999)
Several days later, the Mallory pulled in at Plymouth, England, to repair the refrigerator, restock provisions, and add anti-mine degaussing equipment.

Academic text (1999)
The naval engineers explained that degaussing is essential for reducing a ship's magnetic signature before entering a conflict zone.

Synonyms

demagnetization

vsdegaussing

Specialized

8.2

Removing the magnetism from an object so it is not magnetic any more

is specific to ships and uses an opposing field to make hulls nonmagnetic

Antonyms

magnetization

Specialized

1 6.7

A process that makes a material attract iron, sometimes temporarily or forever

How Demagnetized

demagnetization

Specialized

8.2

degaussing

Specialized

9.9

to degauss

Specialized

3 9.9

Surface Forms

degaussing singular

degaussings plural

Morphology

degaussing = degauss (semi-transparent) = de + gauss + ing

The process of removing magnetic properties is clear, but the technical nature of the term may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Degaussing comes from the prefix de- meaning 'remove' and the name Gauss, which people use for magnetic strength. It began as the process of taking away a ship's magnetism so the hull would not set off mines, so today it means making a vessel nonmagnetic.