# operation

Pronunciation: US say "ah-puh-RAY-shun" /ˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/; UK say "op-uh-RAY-shun" /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The way something such as a machine, system, or organization works or is run, or the fact of its working or being in use.
   - Simple: The way a machine, system, or group works, or the fact that it is working.
   - _The smooth operation of the factory depends on regular maintenance._
   - _Continuous operation of the pumps kept the mine free of water._
2. A business or organization, especially one viewed in terms of its activity and management.
   - Simple: A business or other group that people run to make money or provide a service.
   - _Their manufacturing operation spans three countries._
   - _She built the entire operation from a single storefront._
3. A surgical procedure performed on a patient's body, usually to treat or diagnose injury, disease, or another condition.
   - Simple: A medical treatment where a doctor cuts into the body to fix or remove something.
   - _The operation to repair her heart valve was a complete success._
   - _Surgeons scheduled the operation for early the next morning._
4. A coordinated military campaign or mission carried out to achieve a specific objective.
   - Simple: A planned military mission carried out to reach a goal.
   - _The operation involved thousands of troops and weeks of planning._
   - _Commanders called off the operation when the weather turned._
5. A planned undertaking carried out to achieve a specific objective, often involving coordinated effort.
   - Simple: A planned activity that people carry out to reach a goal.
   - _The cleanup operation involved hundreds of volunteers and lasted a full week._
   - _Police launched a major operation to track down the smugglers._
6. In mathematics and computing, a process or rule, such as addition or multiplication, that produces a value from one or more input values (operands).
   - Simple: In math or computing, a step like adding or multiplying that takes values and gives a result.
   - _Multiplication is an operation that combines two numbers into a product._
   - _The program applies each operation to the data in sequence._

## Noun

7. The effect produced by some agent or force; the influence it exerts upon a subject. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The effect or influence that something produces.

## Origin

From Middle English operacioun, borrowed via Old French operacion from Latin operātiō, which comes from the verb operor ("I work"), itself from opus, operis ("work"). It is equivalent to operate + -ion.

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