degauss

verb (used with object)

1. to demagnetize (a ship’s hull, electrical equipment, etc.) by means of electric coils.

verb (tr)

1. to neutralize the magnetic field of a ship’s hull (as a protection against magnetic mines) using equipment producing an opposing magnetic field
2. another word for demagnetize

v.

“de-magnetize,” originally especially of ships as a defense against magnetic mines, 1940, from German scientist Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), a pioneer in the study of magnetics.

1. To neutralize or rebalance the magnetic field of a magnetized object, such as a computer monitor or the read/write head of a disk drive or tape recorder.
2. To erase information from a magnetic disk, tape, or other magnetic storage device.