Link Centre Dictionary

formation

for·ma·tion

UK/fɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ US/fɔɹˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ fairly common

noun

1.

an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit

  • “a defensive formation”
  • “a formation of planes”
2.
3.
4.

the act of forming something

  • “the constitution of a PTA group last year”
  • “it was the establishment of his reputation”
  • “he still remembers the organization of the club”
Synonyms
5.

(geology) the geological features of the earth

Synonyms
6.

natural process that causes something to form

  • “the formation of gas in the intestine”
  • “the formation of crystals”
  • “the formation of pseudopods”
7.

creation by mental activity

  • “the formation of sentences”
  • “the formation of memories”

Origin

From Middle English formacioun, formation, borrowed from Old French formacion, from Latin fōrmātiō, from fōrmō (“form”, verb); see form as verb. Morphologically form + -ation.

Phrases

  • A formation
  • back formation
  • Christmas tree formation
  • formation exposure time
  • formation lap
  • formation rule
  • formation water
  • free cell formation

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.