Etymology : Late Latin configuration-, configuratio similar formation, from Latin configurare to form from or after, from com- + figurare to form, from figura figure
Pronunciation : k&n-"fi-gy&-'rA-sh&
Function : noun
Date : 1646
1. formation, arrangement of elements. configuration\con*fig`u*ra"tion\ , n. [l. configuratio.].
2. form, as depending on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; shape; figure. it is the variety of configurations [of the mouth] which gives birth and origin to the several vowels. arris.
3. (astrol.) relative position or aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to the relative positions of the planets at any time. they [astrologers] undertook to determine the course of a man's character and life from the configuration of the stars at the moment of his birth.
4. (chem.) the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule as determined by the covalent bonds between them; the three-dimensional structure that cannot be changed without breaking the covalent bonds between atoms of a molecule. it is distinguished from conformation, which is the exact relative location in space of all of the atoms of a molecule, which may vary at different times or in different environments. [pjc].
5. (computers) a specification of the parts of a computer system, consisting of the essential components of the computer plus the complete set of all internal and external devices directly attached to it; as, by the year 2000, a microcomputer configuration without a cd-rom or dvd drive will be unsalable. [pjc]configuration n.
6. an arrangement of parts or elements; "the outcome depends on the configuration of influences at the time" [syn: constellation].
7. any spatial attribute (especially as defined by outline); "he could barely make out their shapes through the smoke" [syn: shape, form, contour].
8. Form, as depending on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; shape; figure.
9. Relative position or aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to the relative positions of the planets at any time. the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule as determined by the covalent bonds between them; the three-dimensional structure that cannot be changed without breaking the covalent bonds between atoms of a molecule.
10. It is distinguished from conformation, which is the exact relative location in space of all of the atoms of a molecule, which may vary at different times or in different environments. a specification of the parts of a computer system, consisting of the essential components of the computer plus the complete set of all internal and external devices directly attached to it; as, by the year 2000, a microcomputer configuration without a CD-ROM or DVD drive will be unsalable. an arrangement of parts or elements; "the outcome depends on the configuration of influences at the time".
11. 1. A configuration is an arrangement of a group of things. Stonehenge, in south-western England, an ancient configuration of giant stones.
12. The configuration of a computer system is way in which all its parts, such as the hardware and software, are connected together in order for the computer to work. In chemistry, the arrangement in space of the atoms in a molecule. It is especially important in organic chemistry (see:
organic compound), in which each carbon atom in a molecule can form from two to four covalent bonds (see:
bonding) with as many as four other atoms. A carbon atom with four single bonds, for example, lies at the centre of a tetrahedron, with one bond extending to each corner; if three or all four atoms bonded to the carbon are different, the structure that results has two different mirror-image (see:
optical activity; isomer) forms, similar to left-and right-handed gloves. Configuration issues also apply to some inorganic compounds. Until late in the 20th century, chemists struggled to determine the true three-dimensional form (absolute configuration) of a molecule experimentally, but modern optical and chemical methods have greatly simplified the task. The term electronic configuration refers to the number of electrons in the various shells of an atom, which defines its chemical reactivity and the type of bonding in which it participates.