application
/ˌæp.lɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Forms applications
- noun The act of physically applying or laying on. “The application of this cream should reduce the swelling.”
- noun The substance applied.
- noun The act of applying as a means; the employment of means to accomplish an end; specific use.
- noun The act of directing or referring something to a particular case, to discover or illustrate agreement or disagreement, fitness, or correspondence. “I make the remark, and leave you to make the application.”
- noun (computing) A computer program or the set of software that the end user perceives as a single entity as a tool for a well-defined purpose. (Also called: application program; application software.) “This application can connect to most social networks.”
- noun A verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school, course or similar. “December 31 is the deadline for MBA applications.”
- noun (bureaucracy, law) A petition, entreaty, or other request, with the adposition for denoting the subject matter. “Their application for a deferral of the hearing was granted.”
- noun The act of requesting, claiming, or petitioning something.
Synonyms
software program app practical application coating covering application program applications programme lotion diligence
Etymology
From Late Middle English applicacioun, borrowed from Old French aplicacion (French application), from Latin applicātiōnem, accusative singular of applicātiō (“attachment; application, inclination”), from applicō (“join to, attach; apply”). Equivalent to apply + -ication.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of applying or laying on, in a literal sense; as, the application of emollients to a diseased limb.
- noun The thing applied.
Etymology [L. applicatio, fr. applicare: cf. F. application. See Apply.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “application”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details