-tion

1. The rubbing of one body (or thing) against another; attrition.
2. The resistance which any body meets with in moving over another body.
3. The rubbing of two objects against each other when one or both are moving.
4. In physics, the resistance encountered by an object moving relative to another object with which it is in contact.
5. In medicine, deliberate rubbing of a body part as a way of stimulating blood circulation, warming, or relieving pain.
6. Disagreement or conflict, stopping short of violence, between individuals, groups, or nations with differing aims or views.

In physics, friction is a force that opposes the relative motion of two material surfaces that are in contact with one another; the direcition of the force on each body is opposite to the direction of its motion relative to the other body.

1. Use or possession of anything, especially such as is accompanied with pleasure or satisfaction; pleasure derived from possession or use.
2. Attainment of anything desired; realization; accomplishment: "After years of hard work she finally brought her idea to full fruition."
3. Enjoyment, as of something attained or realized.
4. The condition of bearing fruit.

1. An action or use for which something is suited or designed.
2. An activity or role assigned to someone or something: "The function of a lawyer is to advise a client of his legal rights."
3. A social gathering or ceremony; especially, a formal or official occasion: "There are many functions that the head of a state must attend."
4. A quality or characteristic that depends upon and varies with another quality.
5. The action or purpose performed by an organ, part, or substance of the body: "It is the function of the heart to pump blood through the body's system."
6. The characteristic action of a compound due to its composition or structure.
7. Etymology: from Middle French fonction, from Old French function, from Latin functio, functionis, "performance, execution"; from functus, past participle of fungi, "perform, execute, discharge".

1. An electrical system, usually operated by a magneto or battery, that provides the spark to ignite the fuel mixture in an internal-combustion engine.
2. The point at which a substance begins a process of combustion, or the means by which this process begins.

Ignition occurs when the heat produced by a reaction becomes sufficient to sustain a chemical reaction.

A burdensome or unfair demand; such as, on a person's time, income, or work schedule: The impositions of additional new taxes by the legislature resulted in demonstrations by the people who felt that it was just too much. © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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A lack or absence of activity or labor; inertness: Joe spent a day of inaction doing absolutely nothing and enjoyed sleeping and resting on the sofa.

1. The process of internal secretion characteristic of endocrine glands.
2. The product of this process; a hormone.

1. The action of ordaining or announcing authoritatively and publicly; an appointment, a declaration, or a proclamation: "The indiction of the mayor was held at an outdoor ceremony so a large number of people could attend."
2. The decree or proclamation of the Roman Emperors fixing the valuation on which the property-tax was assessed at the beginning of each period of fifteen years; hence, the tax or subsidy paid on the basis of this assessment: "The emperor issued a new indiction in order to increase his revenue which would be used for building monuments."

1. Aimlessness; devoid of a set way or method: After graduating from high school, Tom was in a state of indirection not knowing what he wanted to do next.
2. Stealth; slinkiness: The secret agent had to use indirection to keep his identity undisclosed.