formation
    n 1: an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit; "a
         defensive formation"; "a formation of planes"
    2: the act of fabricating something in a particular shape [syn:
       formation, shaping]
    3: 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" [syn: constitution,
       establishment, formation, organization, organisation]
    4: (geology) the geological features of the earth [syn:
       geological formation, formation]
    5: a particular spatial arrangement
    6: natural process that causes something to form; "the formation
       of gas in the intestine"; "the formation of crystals"; "the
       formation of pseudopods"
    7: creation by mental activity; "the formation of sentences";
       "the formation of memories"

Formation \For*ma"tion\ (f[o^]r*m[=a]"sh[u^]n), n. [L. formatio:
   cf. F. formation.]
   1. The act of giving form or shape to anything; a forming; a
      shaping. --Beattie.
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   2. The manner in which a thing is formed; structure;
      construction; conformation; form; as, the peculiar
      formation of the heart.
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   3. A substance formed or deposited.
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   4. (Geol.)
      (a) Mineral deposits and rock masses designated with
          reference to their origin; as, the siliceous formation
          about geysers; alluvial formations; marine formations.
      (b) A group of beds of the same age or period; as, the
          Eocene formation.
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   5. (Mil.) The arrangement of a body of troops, as in a
      square, column, etc. --Farrow.
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