1. Impregnation of one substance by another to the greatest possible extent. 2. Neutralization, as of an acid by an alkali. 3. That concentration of a dissolved substance that cannot be exceeded. 4. In optics, see saturated color. 5. Filling of all the available sites on an enzyme molecule by its substrate, or on a hemoglobin molecule by oxygen (symbol SO2) or carbon monoxide (symbol SCO). [L. saturatio, fr. saturo, to fill, fr. satis, enough]
- secondary s. a technique of nitrous oxide anesthesia consisting of an abrupt curtailment of the oxygen in the inhaled mixture to produce a deep plane of anesthesia, following which oxygen is administered to correct hypoxia.
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sat·u·ra·tion .sach-ə-'rā-shən n
1) the act of saturating: the state of being saturated
2) conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)
3) a state of maximum impregnation esp the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature
4 a) the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception that is related to the purity of the color and that decreases as the amount of white present in the stimulus increases called also intensity compare BRIGHTNESS, HUE
b ) (1) degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness used of an object color (2) degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness used of a light-source color
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sat·u·ra·tion (sach″ə-raґshən) [L. saturatio] 1. the act of saturating or condition of being saturated. 2. in radiotherapy, the delivery of a maximum tolerable tissue dose within a short time period and then maintenance of this biologic effect for an extended period of time by additional smaller fractional doses.Medical dictionary. 2011.