formation
Americannoun
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the act or process of forming or the state of being formed.
the formation of ice.
- Synonyms:
- organization, establishment
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the manner in which a thing is formed; disposition of parts; formal structure or arrangement.
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Military.
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a particular disposition of troops, as in columns, squares, etc.
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any required assembling of the soldiers of a unit.
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Geology.
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a body of rocks classed as a stratigraphic unit for geologic mapping.
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the process of depositing rock or mineral of a particular composition or origin.
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noun
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the act of giving or taking form, shape, or existence
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something that is formed
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the manner in which something is formed or arranged
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a formal arrangement of a number of persons or things acting as a unit, such as a troop of soldiers, aircraft in flight, or a football team
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( as modifier )
formation dancing
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geology
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the fundamental lithostratigraphic unit
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a series of rocks with certain characteristics in common
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ecology a community of plants, such as a tropical rainforest, extending over a very large area
Other Word Forms
- formational adjective
- misformation noun
- nonformation noun
- self-formation noun
- subformation noun
- superformation noun
Etymology
Origin of formation
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English formacioun, from Latin fōrmātiōn-, stem of fōrmātiō, from fōrmāt(us) “shaped” (past participle of fōrmāre “to shape, fashion”; form ) + -iō -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In their Chem study, the team identified a surprisingly simple method for directing crystal formation: shining light on the system.
From Science Daily
Large scale spin dynamics simulations back up this interpretation, demonstrating the formation of extended Néel-type antiferromagnetic skyrmions that span multiple moiré cells.
From Science Daily
Suleimani, an Arabic speaker, was a central figure in the formation of Iran’s proxy constellation.
From Los Angeles Times
On Sunday morning, Iranian state television formally confirmed Khamenei's death, before swiftly announcing the formation of a temporary council of three men to assume executive authority.
From BBC
Traditional CDT uses these tumor conditions to spark the formation of hydroxyl radicals, highly reactive molecules made of oxygen and hydrogen that contain an unpaired electron.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
