formation

American  

[fawr-mey-shuhn] / fɔrˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of forming or the state of being formed.

   the formation of ice.

   Synonyms:

   organization, establishment

2. the manner in which a thing is formed; disposition of parts; formal structure or arrangement.

3. Military.

   1. a particular disposition of troops, as in columns, squares, etc.

   2. any required assembling of the soldiers of a unit.

4. Geology.

   1. a body of rocks classed as a stratigraphic unit for geologic mapping.

   2. the process of depositing rock or mineral of a particular composition or origin.

---

formation British  

/ fɔːˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of giving or taking form, shape, or existence

2. something that is formed

3. the manner in which something is formed or arranged

4. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      formation dancing

5. geology

   1. the fundamental lithostratigraphic unit

   2. a series of rocks with certain characteristics in common

6. ecology a community of plants, such as a tropical rainforest, extending over a very large area

---

formation Scientific  

/ fôr-mā′shən /

1. A long, mappable body of rock that is recognizable by its physical characteristics and by its location within the rock record.

---

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

This arrangement is explained by a leading theory of planet formation.

From Science Daily

Through grants, Yosemite aims to help research escape that trap and ultimately spur more new company formation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Momentum is growing for something called the “28th regime”: A single pan-EU law governing business incorporation to operate alongside the existing 27 different national rules, vastly simplifying business formation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Based on their analysis, they concluded that it is reasonable to consider the possibility that living organisms could have contributed to the formation of these molecules.

From Science Daily

With its spectacular white formations rounded by erosion, the so-called 'moon beach' has bathers packed tighter than an astronaut's suit during summertime.

From Barron's

Related Words

• arrangement
• construction
• creation
• design
• development
• evolution
• forming
• pattern
• production
• structure