ˌrefə(r)ˈmāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English reformacion, from Middle French reformation, from Latin reformation-, reformatio, from reformatus (past participle of reformare to reform) + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the act of reforming or state of being reformed: as
a. obsolete : restoration , reestablishment
b. : improvement in form or condition
urging a radical reformation of society
c. : amendment of moral behavior
satire lashes vice into reformation — John Dryden
d. : correction or improvement of what is faulty, defective, inefficient, or objectionable
reformation of the postal service
e. : the correction by a court of equity of errors and mistakes in or arising out of the execution of a written instrument to make the instrument conform to the real intention of the parties thereto
2. usually capitalized : a 16th century religious movement aimed at correcting real or assumed abuses in the Roman Catholic Church and marked ultimately by rejection of the supremacy of the pope, rejection or modification of much of Roman Catholic doctrine, and establishment of the Protestant churches