formation

See also: Formation and formâtion

English

Etymology

From Old French formacion, from Latin fōrmātiō, from fōrmō (“form”, verb); see form as verb.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən
  • (US) IPA(key): /fɔɹ.meɪ.ʃən/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /fə(ɹ).meɪ.ʃən/
  • Hyphenation: for‧ma‧tion

Noun

formation (plural formations)

  1. Something possessing structure or form.
  2. The act of assembling a group or structure.
  3. (geology) A rock or face of a mountain.
  4. (military) A grouping of military units or smaller formations under a command, such as a brigade, division, wing, etc.
    Synonyms: battle group, brigade group, task force, combat team
  5. (military) An arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft, such as a wedge, line abreast, or echelon. Often "in formation".
    Synonyms: tactical formation, battle formation
  6. (sports) An arrangement of players designed to facilitate certain plays.
    • 2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian‎:
      N’Golo Kanté embodies both sides of this, a player whose early scratchiness was soothed with glorious results in the new 3-4-3 formation, allowed simply to be his best, most wonderfully mobile, diligent, destructive self.
  7. The process of influencing or guiding a person to a deeper understanding of a particular vocation.
  8. The process during which something comes into being and gains its characteristics.
  9. (category theory) A structure made of two categories, two functors from the first to the second category, and a transformation from one of the functors to the other.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Further reading

  • formation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • formation in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fōrmātiō.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔʁmasjɔ̃/

Noun

formation f (plural formations)

  1. formation, forming, development
  2. education; training
    Je suis gynécologue de formation. ― I'm a trainee gynecologist.
  3. (military) formation

Derived terms

Further reading

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