Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Operation has 12 different meanings across 1 category:
a business especially one run on a large scale
"a large-scale farming operation"
"a multinational operation"
"they paid taxes on every stage of the operation"
"they had to consolidate their operations"
a planned activity involving many people performing various actions
"they organized a rescue operation"
"the biggest police operation in French history"
"running a restaurant is quite an operation"
"consolidate the companies various operations"
(computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)
"it can perform millions of operations per second"
activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)
"it was a joint operation of the navy and air force"
a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body
"they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available"
"he died while undergoing surgery"
process or manner of functioning or operating
"the power of its engine determines its operation"
"the plane's operation in high winds"
"they compared the cooking performance of each oven"
"the jet's performance conformed to high standards"
(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents
"the process of thinking"
"the cognitive operation of remembering"
(mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods
"the problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation"
"they were learning the basic operations of arithmetic"
the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)
"her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride"
The method by which a device performs its function.
"The user manual explains that resetting the operation of the printer can fix the paper jam issue."
In plain English: An operation is a planned series of actions taken to achieve a specific goal.
"The hospital operation to fix his knee was successful."
Usage: Use "operation" to describe how a machine or system functions, such as explaining the operation of an engine. Do not use it to refer to a surgical procedure unless specifically discussing medical contexts.
The word operation comes from the Latin operatio, which originally meant "a work" or "an act of working." It entered English through Middle English and Old French before taking on its modern sense related to performing a task or medical procedure.