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

Household balance sheets and productive capital formation both remain strong.

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In July, he announced the formation of a new political party, the America Party, in an attempt to rival the Republicans and Democrats.

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The development of new pastes advanced the formation and integration of sculpture; and “paste on paste” permitted the use of incised bas-reliefs.

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He found that within these communities people clustered themselves according to education, income, family formation, rates of delinquency and other factors, just as other ethnic groups living in slum areas had done in previous eras.

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That includes the Barnett Shale of Texas, a rock formation that Occidental has more access to because of the CrownRock deal.

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Related Words

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