The loosening or removal of the soil round the roots of a tree or vine; the exposure of a plant's roots.
((n.) The act or process of laying bare the roots of trees
to expose them to the air and water.)
Origin:
Late Middle English; earliest use found in Palladius' De Re Rustica. From classical Latin ablaqueātiōn-, ablaqueātiō act or process of loosening the soil at the roots of a tree from ablaqueāt-, past participial stem of ablaqueāre + -iō.