Formation

How to spell formation

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce formation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does formation mean?

1. nounThe act or process by which something is shaped, developed, or brought into being.
2. nounA particular arrangement or pattern in which people, objects, or units are positioned.
3. nounA body of rock or similar material with distinctive characteristics laid down over time.

Formation in a sentence

• The formation of the new committee took several weeks.

• The aircraft flew in a tight formation over the stadium.

• The cave revealed a striking limestone formation.

• Good study habits are essential to the formation of strong skills.

• The coach changed the team formation for the second half.

• Geologists dated the ancient formation exposed in the cliff.

Where does formation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin formatio, a noun meaning 'a shaping' or 'a forming', built on the verb formare 'to shape or fashion', which in turn rests on forma, the Latin word for 'shape, figure, or appearance'. English took the word in through Old French formacion during the 1300s, where it carried the sense of the act of giving shape to something. From that core idea of shaping, the meaning branched out: a body of troops arranged in a deliberate pattern, a layer of rock laid down by natural processes, and the general process by which anything comes into being. The same forma root still sits visibly inside everyday relatives such as 'form', 'reform', and 'uniform', which is a helpful reminder that the spelling keeps the plain 'form' intact before the smooth -ation ending.

How the word is built

• form (shape)
• -ation (noun of action/state)