preparation
Pluralpreparations (some meanings)
- 1The work you do to get ready for something.
Like packing your bag the night before a big trip.
Good preparation made the test feel easy.
She spent weeks in preparation for the long trip.
Similarplanning, groundwork, organization
Note
- 2Being ready for something that is going to happen.
Like having your umbrella ready before it starts to rain.
Their preparation meant nothing could surprise them.
We were in a state of complete preparation before the guests arrived.
Similarreadiness, preparedness
Oppositeunpreparedness, unreadiness
- 3A medicine or mixture that someone has made for a special use.
Like mixing honey and lemon to make a drink for a sore throat.
The pharmacist mixed a preparation to ease her cough.
He rubbed a herbal preparation onto the sore muscle.
Similarremedy, medicine, mixture, concoction, formulation
Note
- 4A part of an animal's body that is kept and treated so people can study it.
Like pressing a flower in a book so you can look at it later.
The museum displayed a preparation of a frog's heart.
Students examined a preparation under the microscope.
Similarspecimen
Note
- 5In music, playing a note as part of one chord, then holding it into the next chord, where it clashes.
Like keeping one note ringing from before, so the new chord doesn't sound sudden.
The composer used careful preparation before each clash of notes.
Good preparation makes the clashing note sound smooth, not harsh.
Note
- 6A small object placed on or between a piano's strings to change its sound.
Like clipping something onto a string to change how it sounds.
The pianist slid a preparation between two strings before the concert.
Each preparation gave the note a buzzing, drum-like sound.
Note
- 7Prayers and spiritual exercises done before a church service begins.
Like warming up before you start a game.
The priest led a short preparation before the morning service.
Worshippers joined in the preparation before the prayers began.
- 8The day before the Sabbath or a Jewish feast day, used to get ready.
Like cleaning the house the day before guests come.
On the Preparation, the family cooked all the meals for the next day.
Shops closed early during the Preparation before the feast.
Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of preparation apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
This word came through Middle English and Middle French from Latin praeparatio. It is made from 'prepare' plus '-ation'.