-ation

views updated

-ation ME. -acio(u)n — OF. (mod. -ation) — L. -ātiō, -ātiōn-, the form resulting from the addition of -tiōn- -TION to verb-stems in -ā-. The great majority of Eng. words in -ation have corr. vbs. in -ATE3, as creation, moderation, saturation, beside create, moderate, saturate; some have no such corr. vb., as capitation, constellation, duration; others are formed directly on vbs. in -IZE, as civilization, organization. A large number have corr. vbs. of other forms, as apply and application, publish and publication, prove and probation. Others have the appearance of being formed on Eng. vbs., as alteration, causation, formation; hence the practice (from XVI) of adding the suffix to miscellaneous vbs., as botheration, flirtation, starvation.