attracting and holding interest as if by a spell; "read the bedtime story in a hypnotic voice"; "she had a warm mesmeric charm"; "the sheer force of his presence was mesmerizing"; "a spellbinding description of life in ancient Rome"
the omission that is made when an editorial change shortens a written passage; "an editor's deletions frequently upset young authors"; "both parties agreed on the excision of the proposed clause"
(genetics) the loss or absence of one or more nucleotides from a chromosome