[1840–50; ‹ L ment- (s. of mēns) mind + -ation]This word is first recorded in the period 1840–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: bypass, dope, layout, organizer, set piece-ation is used to form nouns from stems ending in -ate (separation) and, on this model, to form nouns from stems of other origin (starvation). Other words that use the affix -ation include: complementation, generalization, plantation, polarization, transportation