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

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən
• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɔːˈmeɪ.ʃən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /foːˈmæɪ.ʃən/
• Hyphenation: for‧ma‧tion

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.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

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^[1]:

     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

• back formation
• back-formation
• Christmas tree formation
• formation lap
• formation rule
• formation water
• free cell formation
• I formation
• loan formation
• missing man formation
• pattern formation
• progressive longways formation
• re-formation
• reticular formation
• rock formation
• T formation
• word formation
• word-formation

 

Related terms

• form

Translations

something possessing structure or form

• Armenian: ձեւավորում (hy) (jewavorum), կազմավորում (hy) (kazmavorum)
• Bulgarian: формация (bg) f (formacija)
• Dutch: formatie (nl) f
• Esperanto: formigo
• Finnish: muodostelma (fi), muodostuma (fi), -muodostus (fi)
• Hungarian: alakulat (hu), képződmény (hu)
• Korean: 구조 (ko) (gujo)
• Maltese: formazzjoni f
• 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: формиране (bg) n (formirane), образуване (bg) n (obrazuvane)
• 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)
• Korean: 조립 (ko) (jorip)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: please add this translation if you can

• Latvian: veidošana f
• 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

• 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 f
• Finnish: muodostuma (fi)
• Hungarian: képződmény (hu), formáció (hu)
• Korean: 지층 (ko) (jicheung)
• Polish: formacja (pl) f
• Russian: форма́ция (ru) f (formácija)
• Vietnamese: thành hệ

military: grouping of units under a command

• Bulgarian: формация (bg) f (formacija)
• Dutch: formatie (nl) f
• Finnish: muodostelma (fi)
• Hungarian: alakulat (hu)
• Irish: fíor f
• Korean: 편대 (ko) (pyeondae)
• Polish: formacja (pl) f
• Russian: формирова́ние (ru) n (formirovánije)

military: arrangement of moving troops, ships, or aircraft

• Bulgarian: строй (bg) m (stroj)
• Dutch: formatie (nl) f
• Finnish: muodostelma (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: παράταξις f (parátaxis)

• Hungarian: alakzat (hu)
• Irish: fíor f
• Korean: 대형 (ko) (daehyeong), 진형 (ko) (jinhyeong)
• 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.
• “formation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →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)

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

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
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	formation	formationen	formationer	formationerna
Genitive	formations	formationens	formationers	formationernas

References

• formation in Svensk ordbok (SO)