To change from liquid to gas or vapor, usually due to heat, like water turning into steam or disappearing from a puddle.
From Latin 'evaporare' (e- 'out' + vapor 'steam'). The word entered English in the 1600s to describe the physical process of liquids becoming vapor. The metaphorical sense of 'disappearing' developed later.
Water molecules at the surface are always jiggling with energy, and when they jiggle fast enough (especially when heated), they break free and escape into the air as invisible gas—it's like a constant, invisible escape artist performance happening in every puddle!
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