operation
nounUK /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ · US /ˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
Etymology From Middle English operacioun, from Old French operacion, from Latin operātiō, from the verb operor (“to work”), from opus, operis (“work”). Equivalent to operate + -ion.
10 senses
- 1The method by which a device performs its function.
- 2The method or practice by which actions are done.
- 3The act or process of operating (verb): agency; the…
- 4A planned undertaking.
- 5A business or organization.
- 6A surgical procedure.
- 7A procedure for generating a value from one or more…
- 8A function which maps zero or more (but typically two)…
- 9A military campaign (e.g. Operation Desert Storm).
- 10Effect produced; influence.
The method by which a device performs its function.
- It is dangerous to look at the beam of a laser while it is in operation.
The method or practice by which actions are done.
The act or process of operating (verb): agency; the exertion of power, physical, mechanical, or moral.
- the pain and sickness caused by manna are confessedly nothing but the effects of its operations on the stomach and guts.1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 8:
- Speculative painting, without the assistance of manual operation, can never attain to perfection.1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC:
A planned undertaking.
- The police ran an operation to get vagrants off the streets.
- The Katrina relief operation was considered botched.
A business or organization.
- We run our operation from a storefront.
- They run a multinational produce-supply operation.
Medicine, Sciences A surgical procedure.
- She had an operation to remove her appendix.
- This done, ſhe performs the very ſame Operation on the other Side of the Cock's Body, and there takes out the other Stone; then ſhe ſtitches up the Wounds, and lets the Fowl go about as at other Times, till the Capon is fatted in a Coup, which is commonly done from Chriſtmas to Candlemas, and after.1750, W[illiam] Ellis, The Country Housewife's Family Companion […] , London: James Hodges; B. Collins, →OCLC, page 157:
Computing, Engineering, Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Philosophy, Physical sciences, Sciences A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands).
- The number of operands associated with an operation is called its arity; an operation of arity 2 is called a binary operation.
Computing, Engineering, Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Philosophy, Physical sciences, Sciences A function which maps zero or more (but typically two) operands to a single output value.
Government, Military, Politics, War A military campaign (e.g. Operation Desert Storm).
Obsolete Effect produced; influence.
- The bards […] had great operation on the vulgar.1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
- Derived terms
53 terms
additive operation, arithmetic operation, binary operation, black bag operation, black operation, ClickOps, co-operation, cottage food operation, counteroperation, cyberoperation, DataOps, DevOps, DevSecOps, disoperation, driver-only operation, dyadic operation, floating point operation, floating-point operation, Gigli's operation, group operation, grow operation, Hartmann's operation, hyperoperation, in operation, interoperation, intraoperation, line of operations, logical operation, maloperation, microoperation, misoperation, multioperation, multiplicative operation, operationism, operationist, operation of law, oplan, pivot operation, postoperation, preoperation, Récamier's operation, reoperation, screwdriver operation, set operation, sex-change operation, short-circuit logical operation, special military operation, special operation, suboperation, teleoperation, unary operation, unit operation, mission operations