English
formation
Formation comes from Latin fōrmātiō ‘the act of shaping, forming or fashioning’, and goes back to fōrma ‘form’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma‘form’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmō‘to shape’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmātiō‘the act of shaping’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formacioun
- Englishearliest quotation 2012formation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma‘form’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmō‘to shape’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmātiō‘the act of shaping’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formacioun
- Englishearliest quotation 2012formation
Earliest quotation: 2012, Chinle Miller: “Over a broad region, the color of a formation…”
Formed from form + -ation
Linked words
through Ancient Greek μορφή ‘shape, form’
through Etruscan *morma
through Latin fōrma ‘form’
formula, uniform, informatics, fromage, deformable, 27 more
through Latin fōrmō ‘to shape, form, fashion, format’
Today it means
noun The act of assembling a group or structure.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin fōrma / formation