Definition of "dilation"

dilation

/daɪˈleɪʃən/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural dilations
1. The act of dilating.
2. State of being dilated; expansion; dilatation.
3. (obsolete) Delay.
  Quotations
  The wise queen, however she might seem to have a fair opportunity offered to her suit, finds it not good to apprehend it too suddenly; as desiring by this small dilation to prepare the ear and heart of the king for so important a request
  1612–1626, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volumes (please specify |volume=II, V, or VI), London
4. (mathematics) In morphology, a basic operation (denoted ⊕) that usually uses a structuring element for probing and expanding the shapes contained in the input image.