dilation and evacuationn. Abbr. D & E A surgical abortion performed during the second trimester of pregnancy by dilation of the cervix and removal of the fetus, placenta, and fetal membranes, usually by use of vacuum aspiration and surgical instruments.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.