Definition of "conformation" [con•for•ma•tion]

• The act of conforming or the state of being conformed. (noun)
• The structure or outline of an item or entity, determined by the arrangement of its parts. (noun)
• A symmetrical arrangement of the parts of a thing. (noun)
• One of the spatial arrangements of atoms in a molecule that can come about through free rotation of the atoms about a single chemical bond. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I still vote for the Madagascar Fossa - the conformation is an excellent fit."
• "Knowledge of the conformation is therefore of great importance for explaining or predicting the mode of reaction of a certain molecule."
• "The conformation is extremely close to what I remember."