Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Formation has 8 different meanings across 1 category:
an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
"a defensive formation"
"a formation of planes"
the act of forming or establishing something
"the constitution of a PTA group last year"
"it was the establishment of his reputation"
"he still remembers the organization of the club"
(geology) the geological features of the earth
"The ancient formation beneath our feet tells a story of how the desert was once covered by an ocean."
a particular spatial arrangement
"The quarterback called for a tight formation before lining up at the line of scrimmage."
natural process that causes something to form
"the formation of gas in the intestine"
"the formation of crystals"
"the formation of pseudopods"
The act of assembling a group or structure.
"The team's formation on the field took only a few minutes before the referee blew the whistle."
In plain English: A formation is an organized group of people or things arranged in a specific pattern.
"The formation of the new government caused many people to celebrate."
Usage: Formation refers to the process of creating or arranging something into a specific shape or order, such as a marching line or a geological layer. Use this term when describing how a group comes together or how a natural feature develops over time.
The word "formation" comes from the Latin fōrmātiō, which is derived from the verb meaning "to shape." It entered English via Old French, carrying its original sense of creating a specific form or structure.