formation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
    • a defensive formation
    • a formation of planes
  2. noun the act of fabricating something in a particular shape
    shaping.
  3. noun the act of forming or establishing something
    organisation; establishment; constitution; organization.
    • the constitution of a PTA group last year
    • it was the establishment of his reputation
    • he still remembers the organization of the club
  4. noun (geology) the geological features of the earth
    geological formation.
  5. noun a particular spatial arrangement
  6. noun natural process that causes something to form
    • the formation of gas in the intestine
    • the formation of crystals
    • the formation of pseudopods
  7. noun creation by mental activity
    • the formation of sentences
    • the formation of memories

WordNet

For*ma"tion noun
Etymology
L. formatio: cf. F. formation.
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913