Obs. [ad. med.L. albātiōn-em, n. of action f. albā-re to whiten.]

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  1.  A term used by the alchemists for the alleged process of whitening metals, especially of transmuting copper into silver; = ALBIFICATION.

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1879.  in Syd. Soc. Lex.

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  2.  Dusting; ? orig. dusting with a white powder.

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1612.  Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. 1653, 263. Albation is the abstraction of dust, moths, gret, adhering to a thing with an Hares foot, feather, spather, knife, or the like.

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1658.  Phillips, Albation (chem.) a dusting with a hare’s foot [not in ed. 1678].

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