Evaporation
the conversion of a liquid or solid by heat into vapor or steam, which becomes dissipated in the atmosphere in the manner of an elastic fluid. The process of evaporation is constantly going on at the surface of the earth, but principally at the surface of the sea, of lakes, rivers, and pools. The vapor thus formed, being specifically EVARTS lighter than atmospheric air, rises to considerable heights above the earth's surface; and afterward, by a partial condensation, forms clouds, and finally descends in rain .