Formation
late Middle English: from Latin formatio(n- ), from formare ‘to form’ (see form).
wiktionary
From Middle English formacioun, formation, borrowed from Old French formacion, from Latin fōrmātiō, from fōrmō(“form”, verb); see form as verb. Morphologically form + -ation
etymonline
formation (n.)
late 14c., "vital force in plants and animals;" early 15c., "act of creating or making," from Old French formacion "formation, fashioning, creation" (12c.) or directly from Latin formationem (nominative formatio) "a forming, shaping," noun of action or condition from past-participle stem of formare "to form," from forma "form, shape" (see form (n.)). Meaning that which is formed or created" is from 1640s. In geology, "group of rocks having a similar origin or character," 1815. Related: Formational.
