# configuration

Pronunciation: US say "kuhn-fig-yuh-RAY-shuhn" /kənˌfɪɡ.jəˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/; say "kuhn-fig-uh-RAY-shuhn" UK /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/, AUS /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹæɪ̯.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The way in which the parts or members of a set are placed in relation to one another.
   - Simple: The way a group of things is arranged or placed together.
   - _Investigators photographed the configuration of the wreckage before anything was moved._
   - _The seating configuration in the new theater gives every guest a clear view of the stage._
2. The form of an object, as determined by the relative placement of its parts.
   - Simple: The shape of something, based on how its parts are placed.
   - _The aircraft's unusual wing configuration gives it remarkable stability at low speeds._
   - _Geologists mapped the configuration of the canyon walls before drilling began._
3. The way a computing environment, whether hardware or software, is set up or customized to its users' needs.
   - Simple: The way a computer or program is set up for the people who use it.
   - _The server's default configuration left several ports open to the internet._
   - _Each developer maintains a separate configuration for testing and for production._
4. The process of setting up or customizing a computing environment to meet its users' needs.
   - Simple: The work of setting up a computer or program so it runs the way you want.
   - _Automatic configuration of network devices has eliminated hours of manual setup work._
   - _The manual devotes an entire chapter to configuration of the firewall._
5. The pattern of positions occupied by electrons within a physical structure, such as an atom, molecule, or crystal.
   - Simple: The way the tiny particles called electrons are arranged inside an atom or molecule.
   - _Sodium's electron configuration explains why it gives up an electron so readily._
   - _Chemists compare the configurations of neighboring elements to predict how they will bond._
6. The relative positions of the planets at a given time, regarded in astrology as shaping the character of a horoscope.
   - Simple: The pattern the planets form in the sky at a certain moment, studied in astrology.
   - _Renaissance astrologers timed coronations to coincide with a favorable configuration of the heavens._
   - _The almanac warned that the month's configuration boded ill for sea voyages._
7. A finite set of points and lines, and sometimes planes, typically with equal numbers of points on each line and equal numbers of lines through each point.
   - Simple: A pattern in geometry made of points and lines, where each point touches the same number of lines.
   - _The Fano plane is the smallest configuration in which every line carries exactly three points._
   - _She proved that no configuration with those parameters can be drawn using straight lines._

## Origin

From Middle French configuration, from Latin cōnfigūrātiō. Morphologically it is configure combined with the suffix -ation.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/configuration (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).