fumigation

[ fyoo-mi-gey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the process of using smoke or fumes to disinfect a place or thing or to rid it of fleas, roaches, agricultural pests, weeds, etc.:

   If the entire house gets infested with bedbugs, including clothing and furniture, we’ll have to resort to exterminators or even fumigation.

   A pesticide unavailable on the legal market is regularly employed in the fumigation of areas where illicit crops, such as coca, are produced.

Other Words From

• sub·fu·mi·ga·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fumigation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin fūmigātiōn-, stem of fūmigātiō; fumigate ( def ), -ation ( def )

Example Sentences

He said improved coordination between local and national governments and farmers was needed, to ensure adequate fumigation of rice fields.

From BBC

Additionally, fumigation is an expensive process that does not provide lasting protection against termites.

From Science Daily

A manager for one of them, Bay View Farms LLC, said the fumigation process is “really heavily regulated and inspected by not just the county, but also the state.”

From Los Angeles Times

The chemical’s primary use is the fumigation of homes and other structures, where a building is covered with an airtight tent and gas is pumped in to kill termites and other pests.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2019, in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, Dudareva and her associates published their discovery of a new physiological process, "Natural fumigation as a mechanism for volatile transport between flower organs."

From Science Daily