indentation

American  

[in-den-tey-shuhn] / ˌɪn dɛnˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a cut, notch, or deep recess.

   various bays and indentations.

2. a series of incisions or notches.

   the indentation of a maple leaf.

3. a notching or being notched.

4. indention.

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indentation British  

/ ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a hollowed, notched, or cut place, as on an edge or on a coastline

2. a series of hollows, notches, or cuts

3. the act of indenting or the condition of being indented

4. Also called: indention.   indent.  the leaving of space or the amount of space left between a margin and the start of an indented line

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indentation Cultural  

1. A space left between the left-hand margin of a line of type or handwriting and the beginning of a sentence or quotation. The beginning of a paragraph is usually indented.

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Etymology

Origin of indentation

First recorded in 1715–25; indent ¹ + -ation

Explanation

An indentation is a notch, cut, or dent in something. If you take a hammer to a piece of metal, you will make a series of indentations. The dent in indentation shares a root with your dentist, and an indentation is basically like a tooth mark. Except some "teeth" are larger than others — a meteorite leaves a huge indentation in the ground, just as a sharp pencil could make a tiny indentation in your finger. You can talk about conceptual indentation, too. Loving the novel Anna Karenina might make an indentation in your general aversion to reading. It’s that’s good.

Example Sentences

Under the tab that reads Indents and Spacing, find the section labeled Indentation.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

"Indentation hardness" is a measure of a material's resistance to penetration and deformation.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)

Indentation does not make a paragraph, but we indent because we are beginning a new paragraph.

From Composition-Rhetoric by Brooks, Stratton D.

Indentation: The tool used for this test consists of a punch with a hemispherical end or steel ball having a diameter of 0.444 inch, giving a surface area of one-fourth square inch.

From The Mechanical Properties of Wood Including a Discussion of the Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties, and Methods of Timber Testing by Record, Samuel J.

Indentation, of paragraph, 149; of paragraph, in letters, 157, 161, 164.

From Practical Grammar and Composition by Wood, Thomas