formation

[fawr-mey-shuhn]

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of formation¹

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

“I thrive in the early stages of company formation, when growth and customer experience are the top objectives.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"The composition of a body archives its entire history of formation, including its place of origin."

Read more on Science Daily

"Most current treatments focus on neurons or try to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques. This study suggests that enhancing astrocytes' natural ability to clean up could be just as important."

Read more on Science Daily

This favorable view of Scandinavian paganism continues to influence identity formation today.

Read more on Science Daily

Although earlier studies have identified individual steps occurring at the electrodes during ammonia formation, the full sequence of events has remained difficult to pin down.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• arrangement 
• construction 
• creation 
• design 
• development 
• evolution 
• forming www.thesaurus.com
• pattern 
• production 
• structure