What does vent mean in science?

Answer 1

Your question isn't too specific, but I'm assuming you are referring to science laboratories.

Much of the work that goes on in a science lab, whether it is work with chemical reactions or biological materials, produces gasses and vapors that are harmful to people, the environment, or both. For this reason, science labs are fitted with hooded working areas that have filtered ventilation fans with a glass door that can be pulled down to prevent such harmful gasses and vapors from escaping into the air in the lab.

So, very basically, to "vent" is to use a ventilation fan to capture potentially dangerous gas and vapor from experiments and work products, and deal with the captured gas safely.

There are other meanings for "vent", but your question was very broad. In general, "vent" always means some sort of opening or outlet through which something else escapes. Think of a dryer vent, through which hot moist air is channeled out of a home to the outdoors; think of the hood over a stove with a ventilation fan, which vents the smoke from cooking out of the house. There's even "venting your feelings", which is the process of letting your emotions out in a forceful way. "Vent" always refers to the opening or means through which something is removed.