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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Formation \For*ma"tion\ (f[o^]r*m[=a]"sh[u^]n), noun [L. formatio: cf. F. formation.]
1. The act of giving form or shape to anything; a forming; a shaping. --Beattie.
2. The manner in which a thing is formed; structure; construction; conformation; form; as, the peculiar formation of the heart.
3. A substance formed or deposited.
4. (Geol.) (a) Mineral deposits and rock masses designated with reference to their origin; as, the siliceous formation about geysers; alluvial formations; marine formations. (b) A group of beds of the same age or period; as, the Eocene formation.
5. (Mil.) The arrangement of a body of troops, as in a square, column, etc. --Farrow.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
formation
noun
1: an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit; "a defensive formation"; "a formation of planes"
2: a particular spatial arrangement
3: the fabrication of something in a particular shape [syn: {shaping}]
4: the act of forming something; "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club" [syn: {constitution}, {establishment}, {organization}, {organisation}]
5: (geology) the geological features of the earth [syn: {geological formation}]
6: natural process that causes something to form; "the formation of gas in the intestine"; "the formation of crystals"; "the formation of pseudopods"
7: creation by mental activity; "the formation of sentences"; "the formation of memories"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
186 Moby Thesaurus words for "formation": Platonic form, Platonic idea, accumulation, acronym, acrostic, aesthetic form, allocation, allotment, anatomy, appearance, apportionment, archetype, architectonics, architecture, arrangement, array, arraying, art form, assemblage, assembly, avyayibhava, back formation, build, building, buildup, cast, casting, clipped word, close formation, collation, collocation, combination, composition, compound, concord, configuration, conformation, conjugate, constitution, construction, conversion, crafting, craftsmanship, creation, crystallization, cultivation, cut, deployment, design, development, devising, display, disposal, disposition, distribution, dvandva, dvigu, echelon, effectuation, efformation, elaboration, embodiment, endocentric compound, erection, establishment, exocentric compound, extraction, fabric, fabrication, fashion, fashioning, figuration, figure, forging, form, format, formation flying, formature, forming, formulation, foundation, founding, frame, framing, generation, genesis, genre, getup, grouping, growing, handicraft, handiwork, harmony, harvesting, impression, inauguration, inception, incorporation, inner form, installation, institution, junction, layout, lineup, machining, make, makeup, making, manufacture, manufacturing, marshaling, materialization, matrix, milling, mining, mixture, modality, mode, model, modeling, mold, molding, morphogenesis, morphogeny, order, ordering, organic structure, organism, organization, organizing, paronym, pattern, patterning, peace, physique, piecing together, placement, plan, prefabrication, preparation, processing, producing, production, proportion, prototype, putting together, quiet, quietude, raising, realization, refining, regimentation, regularity, routine, sculpture, set, set-up, setting-up, setup, shape, shaping, significant form, smelting, spoonerism, stamp, structure, structuring, style, symmetry, syneresis, syntax, synthesis, system, tatpurusha, tectonics, texture, tissue, tranquillity, turn, type, uniformity, warp and woof, weave, web, word form, workmanship
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |