conformation

[kon-fawr-mey-shuhn]

noun

manner of formation; structure; form, as of a physical entity.

symmetrical disposition or arrangement of parts.

the act or process of conforming; adaptation; adjustment.

the state of being conformed.

Chemistry. an atomic spatial arrangement that results from rotation of carbon atoms about single bonds within an organic molecule. (contrasted with configuration).

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR conformation

1. configuration, shape.

Related formscon·for·ma·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for conformational

conformation

noun

the general shape or outline of an object; configuration

the arrangement of the parts of an object

the act or state of conforming

chem

another name for configuration (def. 3a)
one of the configurations of a molecule that can easily change its shape and can consequently exist in equilibrium with molecules of different configuration

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 conformational

conformation

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

Medicine definitions for conformational

conformation

[kŏn′fər-mā′shən]

n.

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.