concentration

[kon-suhn-trey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of concentrating; the state of being concentrated.

2. exclusive attention to one object; close mental application.

3. something concentrated.

   a concentration of stars.

4. Military.

   1. the assembling of military or naval forces in a particular area in preparation for further operations.

   2. a specified intensity and duration of artillery fire placed on a small area.

5. the focusing of a student's academic program on advanced study in a specific subject or field.

6. Chemistry.,  (in a solution) a measure of the amount of dissolved substance contained per unit of volume.

7. Also called memory. Cards.,  a game in which all 52 cards are spread out face down on the table and each player in turn exposes two cards at a time and replaces them face down if they do not constitute a pair, the object being to take the most pairs by remembering the location of the cards previously exposed.

concentration

/ ˌkɒnsənˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. intense mental application; complete attention

2. the act or process of concentrating

3. something that is concentrated

4. c. the strength of a solution, esp the amount of dissolved substance in a given volume of solvent, usually expressed in moles per cubic metre or cubic decimetre (litre)

5. the process of increasing the concentration of a solution

6. military

   1. the act of bringing together military forces

   2. the application of fire from a number of weapons against a target

7. economics the degree to which the output or employment in an industry is accounted for by only a few firms

8. another name (esp US) for Pelmanism

concentration

1. The amount of a particular substance in a given amount of another substance, especially a solution or mixture.

Other Word Forms

• hyperconcentration noun
• nonconcentration noun
• overconcentration noun
• preconcentration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of concentration¹

First recorded in 1625–35; concentr(ic) + -ation

Example Sentences

Moody’s recently warned External link of Oracle’s “counterparty risk,” given that customer concentration.

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But over time, I became disillusioned with the fees, the taxes, the complexity, the concentration.

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The son of a Jewish fur trader who died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, as a lawyer Badinter built a reputation defending clients his peers wouldn't touch.

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In this investigation, scientists measured concentrations of these chemicals in the tissues and diet of tree swallows, a migratory bird found throughout North America.

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The banking sector’s concentration has contributed to financial stability in Canada, she said, adding, though, that this comes at the cost of greater innovation and competition.

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Related Words

• absorption 
• combination 
• consolidation