释义 |
op·er·a·tion I. \ˌäpəˈrāshən\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English operacioun, from Middle French operation, from Latin operation-, operatio, from operatus (past participle of operari to work) + -ion, -io -ion — more at operate 1. a. obsolete : a doing or performing especially of action : work, deed b. : a doing or performing of a practical work or of something involving practical application of principles or processes often experimentally or as part of a series of actions < the mechanical operations involved in sculpture > < practice until you can go through the whole operation without hesitation or thinking > 2. a. : an exertion of power or influence : functioning, working < depending on the operations of the intelligence > < the operation of a drug > b. : the quality or state of being functional or operative — usually used with in or into < the plant has been in operation for several weeks > < the new line will be put into operation soon > c. : method or manner of functioning < a machine of very simple operation > < the operation of the circulation > 3. a. : capacity for action or functioning : efficacy, potency — archaic except in legal usage b. archaic : result of the action or existence (as of a disease, an activity) : influence 4. obsolete a. : production, creation b. : a product of creative activity 5. : actual energy or activity viewed as expressing the agent's nature or natures < the operation of the Holy Spirit > 6. : a procedure carried out on a living body for the purpose of altering an existing especially abnormal state or condition by means of instruments (as in surgery) or the hands of a surgeon (as by manipulation of joints) — compare bloodless surgery, electrosurgery 7. a. : a process whereby one quantity or expression is derived from another or others b. logic (1) : transformation (2) : a function or correlation when conceived as a process of proceeding from one or more entities to another according to a definite rule c. : the checking of the applicability of a given term or concept to a concrete situation by means of observation and usually manipulation < determining the acidity of a liquid by indicators constitutes an operation > 8. a. : a military or naval action, mission, or maneuver, including its planning and execution — often used in combination with a designating code word b. operations plural : the office on the flight line of an airfield where pilots file clearances for flights and which controls flying from the field c. operations plural : the staff agency (as in a United States air headquarters) for transacting the principal planning and operating functions of a headquarters and its subordinate units 9. a. : a business transaction especially when speculative < continued his operations in cotton futures > b. : the whole process of planning for and operating a business or other organized unit < the operation of a large household > < the operation of a steel mill > c. : a phase of a business or of business activity < the new forge shop has proved a valuable addition to our operations > 10. : the operating of or putting and maintaining in action of something (as a machine or an industry) < careful operation of a motor car > < problems in the operation of a railroad > II. noun : a single step performed by a computer in the execution of a program |