\Ex*haus"tion\, n. [Cf. F. exhaustion.]
1. The act of draining out or draining off; the act of
   emptying completely of the contents.

2. The state of being exhausted or emptied; the state of
   being deprived of strength or spirits.

3. (Math.) An ancient geometrical method in which an
   exhaustive process was employed. It was nearly equivalent
   to the modern method of limits.

Note: The method of exhaustions was applied to great variety
      of propositions, pertaining to rectifications and
      quadratures, now investigated by the calculus.