dissociation
The act of dissociating or disuniting; a state of separation; disunion.
Other meanings
The process by which a compound body breaks up into simpler constituents; said particularly of the action of heat on gaseous or volatile substances.
“the dissociation of the sulphur molecules”
A defence mechanism where certain thoughts or mental processes are compartmentalised in order to avoid emotional stress to the conscious mind.
Related words
- acid dissociation constant
- bond dissociation energy
- dissociation energy
- dissociation reaction
Word history
From Latin "dissociātiō".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “dissociation” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.