coordination
nounUK /kəʊˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃən/ · CA, US /koʊˌoɹdɪˈneɪʃən/
Etymology From Middle French coordination, from Late Latin coōrdinātiōnem (accusative of coōrdinātiō), from con- + ōrdinātiō. Morphologically coordinate + -ion.
Usually The act of coordinating, making different people or things work together for a goal or effect.
- Then there's the State Service and the police and several other services. And there is no proper co-ordination, no single head for all these agencies.1919, Robert W. Chambers, In Secret:
Usually The resulting state of working together; cooperation; synchronization.
- We stood dodging each other a moment with that unfortunate co-ordination of purpose men sometimes encounter when passing each other.1900, Irving Bacheller, Eben Holden, A Tale of the North Country:
Usually The ability to coordinate one's senses and physical movements in order to act skillfully.
- I’m terrible at sports; I have no coordination.
Usually The state of being equal in rank or power.
- There are two possible modes of unity in a State; one by absolute co-ordination of each to all, and of all to each; the other by subordination of classes and offices.1833 April 10, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “United States of America—Captain B. Hall—Northern and Southern States—Democracy with Slavery—Quakers”, in H[enry] N[elson] C[oleridge], editor, Specimens of the Table Talk of the Late Samuel Taylor Coleridge. […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1835, →OCLC, page 153:
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Usually An equal joining together of two or more phrases or clauses, for example, using and, or, or but.
- There’s a wealth of other complex facts about coordination that could be explored […] coordinations with but are limited to two coordinates […]; yet coordinations with and or with or can have any number of coordinates, with the coordinator preceding just the last one […] or repeated before all except the first […]2024, Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Truth About English Grammar, Polity Press, →ISBN, page 85:
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Usually The reaction of one or more ligands with a metal ion to form a coordination compound.
- Antonyms
- incoordination, subordination
- Derived terms
- colour coordination, color coordination, coordination chemistry, coordination complex, coordination compound, coordination number, discoordination, dyscoordination, eye-hand coordination, hand-eye coordination, heterocoordination, hexacoordination, hypercoordination, microcoordination, miscoordination, multicoordination, overcoordination, pentacoordination, postcoordination, precoordination, pseudo-coordination, recoordination, uncoordination, undercoordination
- Related terms
- coordinated, uncoordinated, coordinator, coordinating conjunction