preparation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
    readying.
    • preparations for the ceremony had begun
  2. noun a substance prepared according to a formula
    formulation.
    • the physician prescribed a commercial preparation of the medicine
  3. noun the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening
    planning; provision.
    • his planning for retirement was hindered by several uncertainties
  4. noun the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)
    readiness; preparedness.
    • putting them in readiness
    • their preparation was more than adequate
  5. noun (music) a note that produces a dissonant chord is first heard in a consonant chord
    • the resolution of one dissonance is often the preparation for another dissonance
  6. noun activity leading to skilled behavior
    training; grooming.
  7. noun preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home)
    prep; homework.
  8. noun the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat
    cooking; cookery.
    • cooking can be a great art
    • people are needed who have experience in cookery
    • he left the preparation of meals to his wife

WordNet

Prep`a*ra"tion noun
Etymology
F. préparation, L. praeparatio. See Prepare.
Definitions
  1. The act of preparing or fitting beforehand for a particular purpose, use, service, or condition; previous arrangement or adaptation; a making ready; as, the preparation of land for a crop of wheat; the preparation of troops for a campaign.
  2. The state of being prepared or made ready; preparedness; readiness; fitness; as, a nation in good preparation for war.
  3. That which makes ready, prepares the way, or introduces; a preparatory act or measure.
    I will show what preparations there were in nature for this dissolution. T. Burnet.
  4. That which is prepared, made, or compounded by a certain process or for a particular purpose; a combination. Specifically: (a) Any medicinal substance fitted for use. (b) Anything treated for preservation or examination as a specimen. (c) Something prepared for use in cookery.
    I wish the chemists had been more sparing who magnify their preparations. Sir T. Browne.
    In the preparations of cookery, the most volatile parts of vegetables are destroyed. Arbuthnot.
  5. An army or fleet. Obs. Shak.
  6. (Mus.) The holding over of a note from one chord into the next chord, where it forms a temporary discord, until resolved in the chord that follows; the anticipation of a discordant note in the preceding concord, so that the ear is prepared for the shock. See Suspension.
  7. Accomplishment; qualification. Obs. Shak.

Webster 1913