-tion

(Latin: a suffix forming nouns from verbs of condition and action; an act or process: resumption, absorption; state or condition, redemption, exhaustion; something resulting from or otherwise related to an act or process, assumption, friction)

This unit is presenting a small fraction of the hundreds of words ending with the suffix of -tion; however, there is a significant number of words which may help everyone have a better understanding and appreciation of the use of this element.

prescription (s) (noun), prescriptions (pl)
1. A written order issued by a physician or other qualified practitioner that authorizes a pharmacist to supply a particular medication with instructions on its use for a certain patient: After her appointment at Dr. Smith's office, Josephine took her prescription to the local apothecary to get her antibiotics.
2. A written order from an optometrist or ophthalmologist for glasses of a particular type and strength to correct the eyesight of a specified individual: Lisa took her prescription for contact lenses to the optician's and received them after only one week!
3. A proven method for causing something else to happen: One of the best prescriptions for staying healthy is laughter and good sleep!
4. The practice of laying down laws, rules, and regulations: The hotel had specific prescriptions that the cleaning staff were never allowed to meddle or tamper with the clothes or objects of the guests.
presumption (s) (noun), presumptions (pl)
1. The action of taking upon oneself of more than is warranted by one's position, right, or ability; forward or over-confident opinion or conduct; arrogance, pride, effrontery, assurance: Little Timmy had the presumption to answer the principal's question in quite a nasty and insolent way.
2. The assumption of taking something for granted, also that which is assumed to be, or to be true, on probable evidence; a belief deduced from facts or experience; assumed probability, supposition, expectation: Mr. Timmons made his presumptions of the issue at hand before he knew all the information concerning the circumstances of the problem.
3. In law, the inference of a fact not certainly known: The statement that James was guilty was just a presumption because not all the details concerning the case were known and proven.
4. In law, the assumption of the truth of anything until the contrary is proved or an inference established by the law as universally applicable to certain circumstances: The presumption that a defendant is innocent of committing murder is given until he or she is proven guilty.
5. A reason for believing; likely evidence: The presumption that Tom kicked his ball through the neighbor's window was probable because he was playing ball in his backyard at the time when the neighbor's window was broken!
prevention (s) (noun), preventions (pl)
An action taken to stop someone from doing something or to preclude something from taking place: Teaching children about health and nutrition is one way of obesity prevention.

Many people in Germany think that lowering speed limits on the freeways would be a precaution to forestall the number of tragic accidents that happen.

proabortion (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to the support of the legalization of the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus of a woman in order to end a pregnancy: The proabortion parents arranged for Dr. Sneed to perform the necessary surgery for their daughter.
probation
1. A method of dealing with offenders; especially, young people who are guilty of minor crimes or first offenses, by allowing them to go at large under supervision of a probation officer.
2. The state of having been conditionally released by a court.
3. A trial period or condition for students in certain educational institutions who are being permitted to redeem failures, misconduct, etc.
4. A trial period in which a student is given time to try to redeem failing grades or bad conduct.
5. The testing or trial of a candidate for membership in a religious body or order, for holy orders, etc.
6. A process or period in which a person's fitness, as for work or membership in a social group, is tested.
7. In law: The act of suspending the sentence of a person convicted of a criminal offense and granting that person provisional freedom with the promise of good behavior.
8. A discharge for a person from commitment as an insane person on condition of continued sanity and of being recommitted upon the reappearance of insanity.
prohibition
projection
promotion
1. The act of promoting or the fact of being promoted; advancement.
2. Encouragement of the progress, growth, or acceptance of something; furtherance.
3. Advertising; publicity.
proscription
1. An act of condemning or forbidding something.
2. The condition of having been denounced or exiled.
prosecution (s) (noun), prosecutions (pl)
1. The institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior.
2. The lawyers acting for a state to put a legal case against a defendant.
3. The continuance, or following up, of something begun with a view to its completion.
protection
reception (s) (noun), receptions (pl)
recognition (rek" uhg NISH uhn) (s) (noun), (usually only used in the singular) recognitions (pl)
1. The act of identifying someone or something on the basis of a past sighting or experience, the ability to do this, or the fact of being identified through having been seen or experienced before: Although Greg passed by Grace without any sign of recognition when he got off the bus, this occurred because his thoughts were focused on getting to work on time and he was close to being late.
2. Appreciation of the value of an achievement: Jim's pioneering work never got the recognition it deserved.
3. Acknowledgment of the existence or validity of something: Jack and Jill need recognition from the committee in order to proceed with the celebration.
4. Permission given by someone chairing a meeting to another person who has asked to speak: The head of the English department gave recognition to Mr. Smith who wanted to offer his opinion on the subject of grading.
5. The formal acceptance by one country of the independent and legal status of another country: Guatemala’s recognition of Belize ended the territorial controversy in 1991.
6. Something given or awarded as a token of acknowledgment or gratitude: Lynn was presented with a trophy as recognition of being the best improved violinist in the school orchestra.
7. The sensing and conversion of data into a machine-readable form by a computer: It is possible that handwriting can be transformed into a PC or laptop by certain means of recognition or coding.
8. In biology, the ability of molecules with complementary shapes to attach to one another: Enzyme-substrate and antibody-antigen interactions are two forms of recognition in the field of science.
redemption
reduction
1. The act or process of bringing something down in extent, amount, or degree; diminish.
2. The action or process of making a copy on a smaller scale.