Bakeout

/ˈbeɪkaʊt/ noun

Definition

A process of heating a chamber or equipment to extremely high temperatures to remove gases and contaminants from its surfaces.

Etymology

Compound of 'bake' (from Old English 'bacan') and 'out' (from Old English 'ūt'), combining the cooking process with the directional particle to describe expelling materials through heat.

Kelly Says

Scientists use bakeouts on spacecraft and vacuum chambers to ensure there's nothing floating around that could ruin experiments—it's like giving equipment a really thorough cleanup just by turning up the heat!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.