configuration

American  

[kuhn-fig-yuh-rey-shuhn] / kənˌfɪg yəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the relative disposition or arrangement of the parts or elements of a thing.

2. external form, as resulting from this; conformation.

3. Astronomy.

   1. the relative position or aspect of heavenly bodies.

   2. a group of stars.

4. Chemistry. an atomic spatial arrangement that is fixed by the chemical bonding in a molecule and that cannot be altered without breaking bonds (conformation ).

5. Computers.

   1. the way a computer or computer system is put together; a specific set and arrangement of internal and external components, including hardware, software, and devices.

   2. the way a software program or device is set up for a particular computer, computer system, or task; the specific settings for a program or device.

      configuration of your email program to work with your new ISP.

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configuration British  

/ kənˌfɪɡjʊˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the arrangement of the parts of something

2. the external form or outline achieved by such an arrangement

3. physics chem

   1. Also called: conformation.  the shape of a molecule as determined by the arrangement of its atoms

   2. the structure of an atom or molecule as determined by the arrangement of its electrons and nucleons

4. psychol the unit or pattern in perception studied by Gestalt psychologists

5. computing the particular choice of hardware items and their interconnection that make up a particular computer system

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Other Word Forms

• configurational adjective
• configurationally adverb
• configurative adjective
• preconfiguration noun

Etymology

Origin of configuration

1550–60; < Late Latin configūrātiōn- (stem of configūrātiō ), equivalent to Latin configūrāt ( us ) shaped like its model, past participle of configūrāre to mold, shape ( con- con- + figūr ( a ) figure + -ātus -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

In contrast, the pyridinic nitrogen configuration offered little improvement.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

It performs reliably across platforms and offers dedicated apps for Android TV and Fire TV, along with manual configuration options for smart TVs and gaming consoles.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

"The atoms explore large regions of configuration space before the decay finally takes place," explains Till Jahnke, senior author of the study.

From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026

It isn’t in the Constitution, that’s true—in its modern configuration it dates from 1917, although forms of it date to 1806 and perhaps to the first Senate rules of 1789.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

So even the inflationary model does not tell us why the initial configuration was not such as to produce something very different from what we observe.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Related Words

• composition
• contour
• shape
• structure