formation

See also: Formation and formâtion

English

Etymology

From Middle English formacioun, formation, borrowed from Old French formacion, from Latin fōrmātiō, from fōrmō (“form”, verb); see form as verb. Morphologically form +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɔːˈmeɪʃən/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈmeɪʃən/

  • Audio (Midwestern US):

    (file)

• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /foːˈmæɪʃən/
• Hyphenation: for‧ma‧tion
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

formation (countable and uncountable, plural formations)

1. The act of assembling a group or structure. [from 14th c.]
   • 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Some cloud formation was confirmed and rainfall was observed over some islands.

2. Something possessing structure or form. [from 17th c.]
3. The process during which something comes into being and gains its characteristics. [from 18th c.]
4. (military) A grouping of military units or smaller formations under a command, such as a brigade, division, wing, etc. [from 18th c.]
5. (geology) A layer of rock of common origin. [from 19th c.]
   • 2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:

     Over a broad region, the color of a formation may change.

6. (military) An arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft, such as a wedge, line abreast, or echelon. Often "in formation".
7. (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.

8. The process of influencing or guiding a person to a deeper understanding of a particular vocation.
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.

Hyponyms

• mass formation, geologic formation

Derived terms

• A formation
• back-formation
• back formation
• Christmas tree formation
• electroformation
• formational
• formation exposure time
• formation lap
• formation rule
• formation water
• free cell formation
• geoformation
• gust formation time
• I formation
• loan formation
• malformation
• microformation
• misformation
• missing man formation
• neoformation
• nonformation
• osteoformation
• pattern formation
• postformation
• preformation
• progressive longways formation
• re-formation
• reticular formation
• rock formation
• subformation
• T formation
• trips formation
• unformation
• word formation

Related terms

• form

Translations

something possessing structure or form

Armenian: ձեւավորում (hy) (jewavorum), կազմավորում (hy) (kazmavorum) Bulgarian: форма́ция (bg) f (formácija) Dutch: formatie (nl) f Esperanto: formigo Finnish: muodostelma (fi), muodostuma (fi), -muodostus (fi) Hungarian: alakulat (hu), képződmény (hu) Korean: 구조(構造) (ko) (gujo) Maltese: formazzjoni f Ottoman Turkish: یاپی (yapı) Polish: formacja (pl) f Russian: образова́ние (ru) n (obrazovánije), структу́ра (ru) f (struktúra), констру́кция (ru) f (konstrúkcija) Swedish: formation (sv) Telugu: నిర్మాణం (te) (nirmāṇaṁ)

act of assembling a group or structure

Armenian: ձեւավորում (hy) (jewavorum), կազմավորում (hy) (kazmavorum) Belarusian: будава́нне n (budavánnje) Bulgarian: форми́ране (bg) n (formírane), образу́ване (bg) n (obrazúvane) Dutch: formatie (nl) f Finnish: muodostaminen (fi), muodostus (fi) German: Bildung (de) f Hungarian: képződés (hu), kialakulás (hu), létrejövés (hu), megalakulás (hu), -alakulás (hu) Indonesian: formasi (id), pembentukan (id) Korean: 조립(組立) (ko) (jorip) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: please add this translation if you can Latvian: veidošana f Malay: pembentukan Maltese: formazzjoni f Norman: faîs'sie f Polish: utworzenie (pl) n, formacja (pl) f Russian: образова́ние (ru) n (obrazovánije), формирова́ние (ru) n (formirovánije), созда́ние (ru) n (sozdánije) Tagalog: sabuo Telugu: ఏర్పాటు (te) (ērpāṭu)

process during which something comes into being and gains its characteristics

Arabic: تَشَكُّل (tašakkul) Hungarian: kialakítás (hu), megalakítás (hu), létrehozás (hu), (in compounds) -alkotás (hu), -képzés (hu) Polish: formacja (pl) f

geology: rock or face of a mountain

Armenian: կազմավորում (hy) (kazmavorum) Azerbaijani: törəmə Dutch: rotsformatie (nl) f Finnish: muodostuma (fi) Hungarian: képződmény (hu), formáció (hu) Korean: 지층(地層) (ko) (jicheung) Polish: formacja (pl) f Russian: форма́ция (ru) f (formácija) Vietnamese: thành hệ

military: grouping of units under a command

Arabic: تَشْكِيلَة (taškīla) Bulgarian: форма́ция (bg) f (formácija) Dutch: formatie (nl) f Esperanto: formacio Finnish: muodostelma (fi) Hungarian: alakulat (hu) Irish: fíor f Korean: 편대(編隊) (ko) (pyeondae) Polish: formacja (pl) f Russian: формирова́ние (ru) n (formirovánije)

military: arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft

Arabic: تَشْكِيلَة (taškīla) Bulgarian: строй (bg) m (stroj) Dutch: formatie (nl) f Finnish: muodostelma (fi) Greek: Ancient: παράταξις f (parátaxis) Hungarian: alakzat (hu) Indonesian: formasi (id) Irish: fíor f Korean: 대형(隊形) (ko) (daehyeong), 진형(陣形) (ko) (jinhyeong) Malay: formasi Norwegian: formasjon m Polish: formacja (pl) f Russian: строй (ru) m (stroj)

process of influencing or guiding a person to a deeper understanding of a particular vocation

Dutch: vorming (nl) Finnish: koulutus (fi) Hungarian: pályaorientáció Indonesian: formasi (id) Latvian: izglītība f Portuguese: formação (pt) f Russian: образова́ние (ru) n (obrazovánije), обуче́ние (ru) n (obučénije) Swedish: forma (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Malayalam: (please verify) രൂപീകരണം (ml) (rūpīkaraṇaṁ) Romanian: (please verify) formație (ro) f

Further reading

• “formāciǒun, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Formation”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume IV (F–G), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 464, column 1.
• “formation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “formation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French formacion, borrowed from Latin fōrmātiōnem. Cf. also the archaic formaison.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔʁ.ma.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

formation f (plural formations)

1. formation, forming, development
2. education; training

   la formation juridique ― judicial training

   Je suis gynécologue de formation. ― I'm a trainee gynecologist.

3. (military) formation

Derived terms

• autoformation

Related terms

• forme

Descendants

• → Dutch: formatie

Further reading

• “formation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin formatio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔrmaˈɧuːn/

Noun

formation c

1. formation

Declension

Declension of formation

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	formation	formations
	definite	formationen	formationens
plural	indefinite	formationer	formationers
	definite	formationerna	formationernas

References

• formation in Svensk ordbok (SO)