Formation may refer to:

Linguistics

Back-formation In etymology, back-formation is the process or result of creating a new word via inflection, typically by removing or substituting actual or supposed affixes from a lexical item, in a way that expands the number of lexemes associated with the c ...

, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes *

Word formation In linguistics, word formation is an ambiguous term that can refer to either: * the processes through which words can change (i.e. morphology), or * the creation of new lexemes in a particular language Morphological A common method of word form ...

, the creation of a new word by adding affixes

Mathematics and science

Cave formation A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

or speleothem, a secondary mineral deposit formed in a cave *

Class formation In mathematics, a class formation is a topological group acting on a module satisfying certain conditions. Class formations were introduced by Emil Artin and John Tate to organize the various Galois groups and modules that appear in class field t ...

, a topological group acting on a module satisfying certain conditions *

Formation (group theory) In group theory, a branch of mathematics, a formation is a class of groups closed under taking images and such that if ''G''/''M'' and ''G''/''N'' are in the formation then so is ''G''/''M''∩''N''. introduced formations to unify the theory of H ...

, a class of groups that is closed under some operations *

Formation constant In coordination chemistry, a stability constant (also called formation constant or binding constant) is an equilibrium constant for the formation of a complex in solution. It is a measure of the strength of the interaction between the reagents tha ...

, an equilibrium constant for the formation of a complex in solution *

Formation enthalpy In chemistry and thermodynamics, the standard enthalpy of formation or standard heat of formation of a compound is the change of enthalpy during the formation of 1 mole of the substance from its constituent elements in their reference state, with ...

, standard heat of formation of a compound *

, a class of groups *

Formation (geology) A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

, a formally named rock stratum or geological unit * Formation of rocks, how rocks are formed *

Formation and evolution of the Solar System The formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud. Most of the collapsing mass collected in the center, forming the Sun, while the rest flattened into a ...

, history of the Solar System *

Rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

, an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop *

Vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

formation, a concept used to classify vegetation communities

Military

Formation flying Formation flying is the flight of multiple objects in coordination. Introduction Formation flight in aviation originated in World War I when fighter aircraft were assigned to escort reconnaissance aircraft. It was found that pairs of aircraft w ...

, the disciplined flight of two or more aircraft under the command of a flight leader *

Formation (military) Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation ...

, a high-level military organization *

Tactical formation Element: A group of soldiers A tactical formation (or order) is the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces such as infantry, cavalry, AFVs, military aircraft, or naval vessels. Formations were found in tribal societies such as th ...

, the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces * Formation, an element in

order of battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...

as a formal assembly of military personnel usually to receive the course of actions (operation order) or get deployed to operations ** Formation may be tactical or ceremonial

Music

Formation Records Leroy Small (born 27 August 1970 in Leicester, England), better known as DJ SS, is a British drum and bass DJ and record producer. Biography SS started out as a hip hop and rare groove DJ in his home-town of Leicester, and was originally kno ...

, a record label headed by DJ SS * "Formation" (song), a song by American singer Beyoncé on her 2016 album ''Lemonade'' *

The Formation World Tour The Formation World Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Beyoncé in support of her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The all-stadium tour was announced following her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. Th ...

, concert tour by Beyoncé for her album ''Lemonade''

Religion

* Formations or

Saṅkhāra (Pali; सङ्खार; Sanskrit: संस्कार or ) is a term figuring prominently in Buddhism. The word means 'formations' or 'that which has been put together' and 'that which puts together'. In the first (passive) sense, ' refer ...

, an important Buddhist concept *

Formation (Catholic) Formation is the personal preparation that the Catholic Church offers to people with a defined mission, such as the priesthood or membership of a religious order such as the Society of Jesus. Such formation involves a program of spiritual and a ...

, the personal preparation that the Catholic Church offers to people with a defined mission

Sports

Formation (association football) In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a Association football pitch, pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the excepti ...

, how team players are positioned on the pitch *

Formation (American football) A formation in football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. There are both offensive and defensive formations and there are many formations in both categories. Sometimes, formations are referred to as packages. ...

, the positions in which players line up before the start of a down *

Formation (bandy) Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is t ...

, how the players are positioned on the rink *

Formation dance Formation dance is a style of ballroom dancing. It is pattern or shadow team dancing by couples in a formation team. The choreography may be based on a particular dance or a medley of dances. Formation dancing may be done for exhibition or for compe ...

, a style of ballroom dancing *

Formation finish A formation finish in a motor race is when multiple vehicles of the same team cross the finish line in formation, usually side-by-side. Typically it happens when a team's car are running in the top positions at the end of the race with a clear adv ...

, a staged motor-race finish in which multiple vehicles of the same team cross the finish line together

Other

Contract formation A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

in law; an offer, acceptance, consideration, and a mutual intent to be bound *

Formation 8 Formation 8 was an American venture capital firm founded in 2011 by Joe Lonsdale, Jim Kim and Brian Koo. The company was headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was one of the most successful venture capital firms in the industry b ...

, an American venture capital firm in San Francisco, California *

Formation level In transport engineering, subgrade is the native material underneath a constructed road,http://www.highwaysmaintenance.com/drainage.htm The Idiots' Guide to Highways Maintenance ''highwaysmaintenence.com'' pavement or railway track (US: railroad ...

, the native material underneath a constructed road, pavement or railway * Formation of a coalition government, led by a

formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is ...

* Formation (rail), British English for

subgrade In transport engineering, subgrade is the native material underneath a constructed road,http://www.highwaysmaintenance.com/drainage.htm The Idiots' Guide to Highways Maintenance ''highwaysmaintenence.com'' pavement or railway track (US: railroad ...

Formation water Produced water is a term used in the oil industry or geothermal industry to describe water that is produced as a byproduct during the extraction of Petroleum, oil and natural gas, or used as a medium for heat extraction. Produced water is the kind ...

, water that is produced as a byproduct during oil and gas production *

Government formation Government formation is the process in a parliamentary system of selecting a prime minister and cabinet members. If no party controls a majority of seats, it can also involve deciding which parties will be part of a coalition government. It usuall ...

in a parliamentary system * Formations, imprint of

Ohio State University Press The Ohio State University Press is the university press of Ohio State University. It was founded in 1957. The OSU Press has published approximately 1700 books since its inception. The current director is Tony Sanfilippo, who had previously work ...