I. ˌäpəˈrāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English operacioun, from Middle French operation, from Latin operation-, operatio, from operatus (past participle of operari to work) + -ion, -io -ion — more at operate
1.
a. obsolete : a doing or performing especially of action : work , deed
b. : a doing or performing of a practical work or of something involving practical application of principles or processes often experimentally or as part of a series of actions
the mechanical operations involved in sculpture
practice until you can go through the whole operation without hesitation or thinking
2.
a. : an exertion of power or influence : functioning , working
depending on the operations of the intelligence
the operation of a drug
b. : the quality or state of being functional or operative — usually used with in or into
the plant has been in operation for several weeks
the new line will be put into operation soon
c. : method or manner of functioning
a machine of very simple operation
the operation of the circulation
3.
a. : capacity for action or functioning : efficacy , potency — archaic except in legal usage
b. archaic : result of the action or existence (as of a disease, an activity) : influence
4. obsolete
a. : production , creation
b. : a product of creative activity
5. : actual energy or activity viewed as expressing the agent's nature or natures
the operation of the Holy Spirit
6. : a procedure carried out on a living body for the purpose of altering an existing especially abnormal state or condition by means of instruments (as in surgery) or the hands of a surgeon (as by manipulation of joints) — compare bloodless surgery , electrosurgery
7.
a. : a process whereby one quantity or expression is derived from another or others
b. logic
(1) : transformation
(2) : a function or correlation when conceived as a process of proceeding from one or more entities to another according to a definite rule
c. : the checking of the applicability of a given term or concept to a concrete situation by means of observation and usually manipulation
determining the acidity of a liquid by indicators constitutes an operation
8.
a. : a military or naval action, mission, or maneuver, including its planning and execution — often used in combination with a designating code word
b. operations plural : the office on the flight line of an airfield where pilots file clearances for flights and which controls flying from the field
c. operations plural : the staff agency (as in a United States air headquarters) for transacting the principal planning and operating functions of a headquarters and its subordinate units
9.
a. : a business transaction especially when speculative
continued his operations in cotton futures
b. : the whole process of planning for and operating a business or other organized unit
the operation of a large household
the operation of a steel mill
c. : a phase of a business or of business activity
the new forge shop has proved a valuable addition to our operations
10. : the operating of or putting and maintaining in action of something (as a machine or an industry)
careful operation of a motor car
problems in the operation of a railroad
II. noun
: a single step performed by a computer in the execution of a program