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-ation

American  
  1. a combination of -ate and -ion, used to form nouns from stems in -ate1 (separation ); on this model, used independently to form nouns from stems of other origin.

    starvation.


-ation British  

suffix

  1. indicating an action, process, state, condition, or result Compare -ion -tion

    arbitration

    cogitation

    hibernation

    moderation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of -ation

< Latin -ātiōn- (stem of -ātiō ), equivalent to -ā- stem vowel + -tiōn- -tion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It doesn’t seem like one -ism or -ation is entirely to blame, like globalism or immigration, capitalism or inflation.

From Slate • Oct. 12, 2024

And so it goes for another 102 iterations of -ation, according to Uglow.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2018

Which -ation will come first for Pompey - administration, relegation, liquidation or salvation?

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2010

The nominalization rule takes a perfectly spry verb and embalms it into a lifeless noun by adding a suffix like -ance, -ment, -ation, or -ing.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

It is easy to jest at words in -osity and -ation, as 'dictionary' words, and the like.

From The Art of Public Speaking by Carnagey, Dale