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conformation

[kon-fawr-mey-shuhn]
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noun
  1. manner of formation; structure; form, as of a physical entity.
  2. symmetrical disposition or arrangement of parts.
  3. the act or process of conforming; adaptation; adjustment.
  4. the state of being conformed.
  5. Chemistry. an atomic spatial arrangement that results from rotation of carbon atoms about single bonds within an organic molecule. (contrasted with configuration).
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Origin of conformation

1505–15; < Latin confōrmātiōn- (stem of confōrmātiō), equivalent to confōrmāt(us) past participle of confōrmāre to shape (con- con- + fōrm(a) form + -āt(us) -ate1) + -iōn- -ion
Related formscon·for·ma·tion·al, adjective

Synonyms

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1. configuration, shape.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

symmetry, figure, cast, frame, arrangement, anatomy, framework, form, build, formation, configuration, type, structure, outline

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British Dictionary definitions for conformation

conformation

noun
  1. the general shape or outline of an object; configuration
  2. the arrangement of the parts of an object
  3. the act or state of conforming
  4. chem
    1. another name for configuration (def. 3a)
    2. one of the configurations of a molecule that can easily change its shape and can consequently exist in equilibrium with molecules of different configuration
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Derived Formsconformational, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for conformation

n.

1510s, from Latin conformationem (nominative conformatio) "a symmetrical forming," noun of action from past participle stem of conformare (see conform).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
conformation in Medicine

conformation

(kŏn′fər-mā′shən)
n.
  1. One of the spatial arrangements of atoms in a molecule that can come about through free rotation of the atoms about a single chemical bond.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.