n. the process of thinking (especially thinking carefully); mental activity.
Syn. -- thinking, thought, cerebration, intellection. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. alimentation, LL. alimentatio. ] 1. The act or process of affording nutriment; the function of the alimentary canal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. State or mode of being nourished. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Any fermentation process by which ammonia is formed, as that by which urea is converted into ammonium carbonate when urine is exposed to the air. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. argumentatio, from argumentari: cf. F. argumentation. ] 1. The act of forming reasons, making inductions, drawing conclusions, and applying them to the case in discussion; the operation of inferring propositions, not known or admitted as true, from facts or principles known, admitted, or proved to be true. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which manner of argumentation, how false and naught it is, . . . every man that hath with perceiveth. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Debate; discussion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Reasoning; discussion; controversy. See Reasoning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. augmentatio: cf. F. augmentation. ] 1. The act or process of augmenting, or making larger, by addition, expansion, or dilation; increase. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being augmented; enlargement. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The thing added by way of enlargement. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Her.) A additional charge to a coat of arms, given as a mark of honor. Cussans. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Med.) The stage of a disease in which the symptoms go on increasing. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Mus.) In counterpoint and fugue, a repetition of the subject in tones of twice the original length. [ 1913 Webster ]

Augmentation court (Eng. Hist.), a court erected by Stat. 27 Hen. VIII., to augment the revenues of the crown by the suppression of monasteries. It was long ago dissolved. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Increase; enlargement; growth; extension; accession; addition. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A slow alcoholic fermentation during which the yeast cells collect at the bottom of the fermenting liquid. It takes place at a temperature of 4° - 10° C. (39° - 50°F.). It is used in making lager beer and wines of low alcohol content but fine bouquet. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. The act or process of cementing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chem.) A process which consists in surrounding a solid body with the powder of other substances, and heating the whole to a degree not sufficient to cause fusion, the physical properties of the body being changed by chemical combination with powder; thus iron becomes steel by cementation with charcoal, and green glass becomes porcelain by cementation with sand. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. coagmentatio. ] The act of joining, or the state of being joined, together; union. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or process of commenting or criticising; exposition. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The spirit of commentation. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The result of the labors of a commentator. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Linguistics) the grammatical relation of a word or phrase to a predicate. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act of depriving of reason; madness. Whitlock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Anat.) The loss or obliteration of division into segments; as, a desegmentation of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Instruction in the elements or first principles. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of experimenting; practice by experiment. J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. fermentation. ] 1. The process of undergoing an effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense (Physiol. Chem.), the transformation of an organic substance into new compounds by the action of a ferment{ 1 }, whether in the form of living organisms or enzymes. It differs in kind according to the nature of the ferment which causes it. In industrial microbiology fermentation usually refers to the production of chemical substances by use of microorganisms. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. A state of agitation or excitement, as of the intellect or the feelings. [ 1913 Webster ]

It puts the soul to fermentation and activity. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

A univesal fermentation of human thought and faith. C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Acetous fermentation or
Acetic fermentation, a form of oxidation in which alcohol is converted into vinegar or acetic acid by the agency of a specific fungus (Mycoderma aceti) or series of enzymes. The process involves two distinct reactions, in which the oxygen of the air is essential. An intermediate product, acetaldehyde, is formed in the first process. 1. C2H6O + O → H2O + C2H4O Alcohol. Water. Acetaldehyde. 2. C2H4O + O → C2H4O2 Acetaldehyde. Acetic acid. --
Alcoholic fermentation, the fermentation which saccharine bodies undergo when brought in contact with the yeast plant or Torula. The sugar is converted, either directly or indirectly, into alcohol and carbonic acid, the rate of action being dependent on the rapidity with which the Torulæ develop. --
Ammoniacal fermentation, the conversion of the urea of the urine into ammonium carbonate, through the growth of the special urea ferment. CON2H4 + 2H2O = (NH4)2CO3 Urea. Water. Ammonium carbonate. [ 1913 Webster ] Whenever urine is exposed to the air in open vessels for several days it undergoes this alkaline fermentation. --
Butyric fermentation, the decomposition of various forms of organic matter, through the agency of a peculiar worm-shaped vibrio, with formation of more or less butyric acid. It is one of the many forms of fermentation that collectively constitute putrefaction. See Lactic fermentation. --
enzymatic fermentation or
Fermentation by an unorganized ferment. Fermentations of this class are purely chemical reactions, in which the enzyme acts as a simple catalytic agent. Of this nature are the decomposition or inversion of cane sugar into levulose and dextrose by boiling with dilute acids, the conversion of starch into dextrin and sugar by similar treatment, the conversion of starch into like products by the action of diastase of malt or ptyalin of saliva, the conversion of albuminous food into peptones and other like products by the action of pepsin-hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice or by the ferment of the pancreatic juice. --
Fermentation theory of disease (Biol. & Med.), the theory that most if not all, infectious or zymotic disease are caused by the introduction into the organism of the living germs of ferments, or ferments already developed (organized ferments), by which processes of fermentation are set up injurious to health. See Germ theory. --
Glycerin fermentation, the fermentation which occurs on mixing a dilute solution of glycerin with a peculiar species of schizomycetes and some carbonate of lime, and other matter favorable to the growth of the plant, the glycerin being changed into butyric acid, caproic acid, butyl, and ethyl alcohol. With another form of bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) ethyl alcohol and butyric acid are mainly formed. --
Lactic fermentation, the transformation of milk sugar or other saccharine body into lactic acid, as in the souring of milk, through the agency of a special bacterium (Bacterium lactis of Lister). In this change the milk sugar, before assuming the form of lactic acid, presumably passes through the stage of glucose. C12H22O11.H2O --> 4C3H6O3 Hydrated milk sugar. Lactic acid. [ 1913 Webster ] In the lactic fermentation of dextrose or glucose, the lactic acid which is formed is very prone to undergo butyric fermentation after the manner indicated in the following equation: 2C3H6O3 (lactic acid) --> C4H8O2 (butyric acid) + 2CO2 (carbonic acid) + 2H2 (hydrogen gas). --
Putrefactive fermentation. See Putrefaction. [ 1913 Webster ]

. a tank in which fermentations are carried out. [ PJC ]

n. [ &unr_;. fomentatio: cf. F. fomentation. ] 1. (Med.) (a) The act of fomenting; the application of warm, soft, medicinal substances, as for the purpose of easing pain, by relaxing the skin, or of discussing tumors. (b) The lotion applied to a diseased part. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Excitation; instigation; encouragement. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dishonest fomentation of your pride. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the act or process of separating something into small pieces or fine particles.
Syn. -- atomization, atomisation. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Mil.) A type of hand grenade designed to burst into multiple fragments upon detonation of the explosive charge; the fragments fly away at high velocity, killing or wounding persons nearby. Contrasted to concussion grenade. The common type of fragmentation grenade used by the American military was sometimes jocosely referred to as a pineapple from its reticulated surface appearance, resembling that of the fruit. [ PJC ]

n. [ L. frumentatio. ] (Rom. Antiq.) A largess of grain bestowed upon the people, to quiet them when uneasy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of using or adapting as an instrument; a series or combination of instruments; means; agency. [ 1913 Webster ]

Otherwise we have no sufficient instrumentation for our human use or handling of so great a fact. H. Bushnell.

2. (Mus.) (a) The arrangement of a musical composition for performance by a number of different instruments; orchestration; instrumental composition; composition for an orchestra or military band. (b) The act or manner of playing upon musical instruments; performance; as, his instrumentation is perfect.

3. The act of using instruments to measure or control the behavior of an object, as a patient in a hospital or a machine being tested while under development. [ PJC ]

4. The act of furnishing or attaching instruments to/ [ PJC ]

5. The set of instruments included in a system; as, a harvester with modern instrumentation. [ PJC ]

n. The act or process of covering with integuments; the state or manner of being thus covered. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. lamentation, L. lamentatio. ] 1. The act of bewailing; audible expression of sorrow; wailing; moaning. [ 1913 Webster ]

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping. Matt. ii. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. (Script.) A book of the Old Testament attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and taking its name from the nature of its contents. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or art of ornamenting, or the state of being ornamented. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which ornaments. C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The ornaments embellishing an object, collectively; as, each room of the palace had a strikingly different ornamentation. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. (Physiol.) A deposition, esp. an excessive deposition, of coloring matter; as, pigmentation of the liver. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depositing a sediment; specifically (Geol.), the deposition of the material of which sedimentary rocks are formed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or process of dividing into segments; specifically (Biol.), a self-division into segments as a result of growth; cell cleavage; cell multiplication; endogenous cell formation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Segmentation cavity (Biol.), the cavity formed by the arrangement of the cells in segmentation or cleavage of the ovum; the cavity of the blastosphere. In the gastrula stage, the segmentation cavity in which the mesoblast is formed lies between the entoblast and ectoblast. See Illust. of Invagination. --
Segmentation nucleus (Biol.), the body formed by fusion of the male and female pronucleus in an impregnated ovum. See the Note under Pronucleus. --
Segmentation of the ovum, or
Egg cleavage (Biol.), the process by which the embryos of all the higher plants and animals are derived from the germ cell. In the simplest case, that of small ova destitute of food yolk, the ovum or egg divides into two similar halves or segments (blastomeres), each of these again divides into two, and so on, thus giving rise to a mass of cells (mulberry mass, or morula), all equal and similar, from the growth and development of which the future animal is to be formed. This constitutes regular segmentation. Quite frequently, however, the equality and regularity of cleavage is interfered with by the presence of food yolk, from which results unequal segmentation. See Holoblastic, Meroblastic, Alecithal, Centrolecithal, Ectolecithal, and Ovum. --
Segmentation sphere (Biol.), the blastosphere, or morula. See Morula. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of overfeeding, or making one take food in excess of the natural appetite for it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of supplementing. C. Kingsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or power of giving by testament, or will. [ R. ] Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

. An alcoholic fermentation during which the yeast cells are carried to the top of the fermenting liquid. It proceeds with some violence and requires a temperature of 14-30° C. (58-86° F.). It is used in the production of ale, porter, etc., and of wines high in alcohol, and in distilling. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. F. transélémentation. ] (Eccl.) Transubstantiation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]