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operation

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op⋅er⋅a⋅tion

  [op-uh-rey-shuhn]
Use operation in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating.
2. the state of being operative (usually prec. by in or into): a rule no longer in operation.
3. the power to act; efficacy, influence, or force.
4. the exertion of force, power, or influence; agency: the operation of alcohol on the mind.
5. a process of a practical or mechanical nature in some form of work or production: a delicate operation in watchmaking.
6. a course or procedure of productive or industrial activity: building operations.
7. a particular process or course: mental operations.
8. a business transaction, esp. one of a speculative nature; deal: a shady operation.
9. a business, esp. one run on a large scale: a multinational operation.
10. Surgery. a procedure aimed at restoring or improving the health of a patient, as by correcting a malformation, removing diseased parts, implanting new parts, etc.
11. Mathematics.
a. a mathematical process, as addition, multiplication, or differentiation.
b. the action of applying a mathematical process to a quantity or quantities.
12. Military.
a. a campaign, mission, maneuver, or action.
b. Usually, operations. the conduct of a campaign, mission, etc.
c. operations, a headquarters, office, or place from which a military campaign, air traffic to and from an airfield, or any of various other activities, is planned, conducted, and controlled.
d. operations, the people who work at such a headquarters.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME operacioun < L operātiōn- (s. of operātiō), equiv. to operāt(us) (see operate ) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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op·er·a·tion   (ŏp'ə-rā'shən)   
n.  

  1. The act or process of operating or functioning.

  2. The state of being operative or functional: a factory in operation.

  3. A process or series of acts involved in a particular form of work: the operation of building a house.

  4. An instance or method of efficient, productive activity: That restaurant is quite an operation.

  5. An unethical or illegal business: a fencing operation for stolen goods.

  6. Medicine A surgical procedure for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.

  7. Mathematics A process or action, such as addition, substitution, transposition, or differentiation, performed in a specified sequence and in accordance with specific rules.

  8. A logical operation.

  9. Computer Science An action resulting from a single instruction.

    1. A military or naval action, campaign, or mission.

    2. operations The headquarters or center from which a military action, flights into and out of an airfield, or other activities are controlled.

  11. operations The division of an organization that carries out the major planning and operating functions.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

operation 
c.1386, "action, performance, work," also "the performance of some science or art," from O.Fr. operacion, from L. operationem (nom. operatio) "a working, operation," from operari "to work, labor" (in L.L. "to have effect, be active, cause"), from opera "work, effort," related to opus (gen. operis) "a work" (see opus). The surgical sense is first attested 1597. Military sense of "series of movements and acts" is from 1749. Operational attested from 1922.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: op·er·a·tion
Pronunciation: "äp-&-'rA-sh&n
Function: noun
: a procedure performed on a living body usually withinstruments for the repair of damage or the restoration of health and especially one that involves incision, excision, or suturing
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

operation op·er·a·tion (ŏp'ə-rā'shən)
n.

  1. A surgical procedure, usually using instruments, for remedying an injury, an ailment, a defect, or a dysfunction.

  2. The act, manner, or process of functioning.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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