operation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A piece of surgery done on the body by a doctor.

   She had an operation to remove her appendix.

2. 2
   noun

   The way something works or is run.

   The smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a comfortable ride.

3. 3
   noun

   A planned activity involving many people working together.

   They organized a large rescue operation.

4. 4
   noun

   A business, especially a large one.

   They run a large farming operation.

5. 5
   noun

   A planned military action or campaign.

   It was a joint operation of the navy and air force.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Operation, recorded in English from late Middle English, derives ultimately from Latin opus, “work.” It belongs to the same word family as office, whose Latin ancestor officium combined the idea of work with facere, “to do.”

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃épos Proto-Italic *opos Latin opus Latin opera Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Latin operātus Latin operor Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin operātiōder. Old French operacionbor. Middle English operacioun English operation From Middle English operacioun, from Old French operacion, from Latin operātiō, from the verb operor (“to work”), from opus, operis (“work”). Equival…

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary