n.
Pronunciation: ik- ' span(t)-sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 1611
1 : EXPANSE
2 : the act or process of expanding <territorial expansion > <economic expansion > < expansion of the universe>
3 : the quality or state of being expanded
4 : the increase in volume of working fluid (as steam) in an engine cylinder after cutoff or in an internal combustion engine after explosion
5 a : an expanded part b : something that results from an act of expanding <the book is an expansion of a lecture series>
6 : the result of carrying out an indicated mathematical operation : the expression of a function in the form of a series
– ex · pan · sion · al \ - ' panch-n ə l, -ch ə -n ə l \ adjective