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To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

vapour, vaporize, vaporous

In such words as vapour, Canadians generally prefer the British ending ‑our to the American variant ‑or.

  • A microwave radiometer measures atmospheric water vapour.

However, the u is dropped in vaporize and vaporous.

  • The doctor used a laser to vaporize the patient’s urinary tract stones.
  • On hot days the children liked to play under the vaporous spray of the fountain.