I. kənˈdishən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English condicioun, from Middle French condicion, from Latin condition-, conditio, alteration of condicion-, condicio agreement, compact, condition, from com- + -dicion-, -dicio (from dicere to say, determine proclaim) — more at diction
1.
a. : something established or agreed upon as a requisite to the doing or taking effect of something else : stipulation , provision
many are apt to believe remission of sins but they believe it without the condition of repentance — Jeremy Taylor
b. obsolete : an agreement determining one or more such prerequisites : covenant
such sum or sums as are expressed in the condition — Shakespeare
2. : something that exists as an occasion of something else : a circumstance that is essential to the appearance or occurrence of something else : prerequisite: as
a.
(1) : the antecedent of a hypothetical proposition
(2) : the subordinate clause of a conditional sentence — contrasted with conclusion
(3) : a proposition having a relation to the validity of another such that (1) validity of the first is sufficient evidence that the second is valid or (2) the second can only be valid if the first is also valid — called also respectively (1) sufficient condition, (2) necessary condition
b. : a provision in a contract, conveyance, grant, or will providing that the beginning, vesting, rescission, or a modification of an estate or interest in property or of a personal obligation must depend upon an uncertain event which may or may not exist or happen ; also : the event itself
c. : a grade usually designated by the letter E, given at many colleges and universities for work that does not meet the minimum standard required for passing but is not rated an absolute failure, and intended to serve notice on the student that he has a chance to raise his standing to passing level by doing additional work or passing a special examination
d. : a meld in the game panguingue for which a player immediately receives payment from other players
3.
a. : something that limits or modifies the existence or character of something else : a restriction or qualification
presence of oxygen is a condition of animal life
b. conditions plural : attendant circumstances : existing state of affairs
living conditions
playing conditions
adverse weather conditions
c. : something needing remedy : unfavorable circumstance
trains were late because of conditions west of the city
4. : a mode or state of being
matter in a gaseous condition
a. : social estate : rank , position
all sorts and conditions of men — Book of Common Prayer
b. obsolete : state with reference to mental or moral nature, temperament, character, or disposition
c. : proper or good condition (as for work or sports competition) : the state of being fit : shape
the crew is out of condition
getting in condition for the big game
d. of a domestic animal : fat or the state of being fat : finish
e. : the physical status of the body as a whole
good condition
poor condition
or of one of its parts — usually used to indicate abnormality
a serious heart condition
a disturbed mental condition
f. : the financial position or state of a person or company
5.
a. obsolete : quality , attribute , trait
here is the catalog of her conditions — Shakespeare
b. conditions plural , archaic : personal nature : manners , ways
a woman of the most excellent conditions — Sir Walter Scott
6. : lupulin
Synonyms:
stipulation , term , provision , proviso , reservation , string : condition indicates a requisite action, circumstance, or quality on which rests the validity or effectiveness of an agreement, a plan, promise, attribution
to have some job in sight for the boy as a condition of his release at the end of his term — R.M.Lovett
just had to keep writing — writing was a profession, a way of life, a condition of his survival — Sherwood Anderson
respect for human life is undoubtedly, as we are never tired of preaching to some of our own communities, the first condition of civilization — W.C.Brownell
stipulation may suggest formal, explicit, definite statement binding a party to a contract or agreement to a specified course
the estate deeded the house to Clatsop County in 1936 with the stipulation that it be used for philanthropic purposes — American Guide Series: Oregon
a stipulation is a statement of conditions that are agreed to in the conduct of some affair — Felix Kaufmann
term , used in the plural in this sense, indicates conditions offered or agreed to in a contract, deal, or agreement
the terms of the lease are not harsh — C.E.Montague
under the terms of the peace treaty, Bulgaria's armed forces are limited — Americana Annual
to allow reunification on terms that meant alliance with the West — F.H.Hartmann
provision in this sense may specifically designate a written formal statement of a condition, directive, or right
the admission of Arkansas with a provision in its constitution forbidding the abolition of slavery without the consent of the slaveowners — L.B.Evans
Murray warned that even if the union were granted its wage increase, the dispute would not be settled until a union shop provision was inserted in the new contract — Mary K. Hammond
this assumes that the framers of a law or constitution can foresee all possible future contingencies and make definite provisions for meeting them so that the judge can be merely a logical automaton — M.R.Cohen
proviso is likely to indicate a definite binding stipulation
passionate feeling is desirable, provided it is not destructive; intellect is desirable, with the same proviso — Bertrand Russell
Field's company accepted with the proviso that it had the right to reject the job as substandard — James Dugan
reservation indicates a qualification or modification of the terms of an agreement or statement, often one to cover contingencies
a blanket financial reservation was added that “any future claims and demands of the Allies and the United States of America remain unaffected”. The armistice was for one month and was renewed from time to time until peace was signed — B.E.Schmitt
string implies a reserving proviso, sometimes one unnoticed or unexpected and quite likely to modify drastically or annul agreements
it is one thing to get a child to admit that he has money, and quite another to get him to part with it. For he will point out that the money was given to him without strings or conditions and that in strict commutative justice he may do what he likes with it — J.D.Sheridan
Synonym: see in addition state .
•
- on condition that
II. verb
( conditioned ; conditioned ; conditioning -sh(ə)niŋ ; conditions )
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to make conditions : set terms : stipulate
2. : to attain proper or fit condition (as of beer in aging)
3. : to limit and make definite an object of thought
transitive verb
1. : to agree by stipulating : contract — followed by an object clause or phrase
condition that they marry
condition to obey
2. : to invest with, limit by, or subject to conditions : burden with a condition : make conditional
freedom is conditioned by our opportunities
his tenure was conditioned on good behavior
: restrict or determine as a condition: as
a. logic : to limit or restrict in thought or conception
b. law : to charge with a condition
3. : to put into proper or the desired condition: as
a. : to moisten (wheat) before grinding
b. : to trim (meat) of excess fat and other unsalable portions
c. : to restore the desired amount of moisture to (as fiber, yarn, or paper that has become dry during processing)
d.
(1) : to purify and humidify (air)
(2) : air-condition
e. : to bring (as an athlete or a team) through a course of training to a state of fitness for contest
f. : fatten
condition livestock
4. : to test (textile fibers) for foreign inclusions (as of moisture or oil)
5. : to require (a student) to pass a new examination or show a certain degree of proficiency in a specified study as a condition of remaining in a class or institution
6.
a. : to adapt, modify, or mold (as by example, teaching, or training) to the basic patterns and standards of behavior existing in an environing culture
traditional beliefs conditioning a child's attitude
b. : to modify (as an experimental organism) in such a way that an act or response previously associated with a given stimulus or class of stimuli becomes associated with a formerly unrelated stimulus or class of stimuli
Synonyms: see prepare