Configuration
/ˌkɒn.fɪ.ɡjʊˈreɪ.ʃən/noun
The arrangement or shape of parts into a particular form or pattern.
Did you know?Configuration comes from Latin configurare, meaning “to shape together,” built from con- (“together”) + figura (“shape, form”), so the word originally described making separate pieces cohere into one design.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheigh-
“to shape, form, mold”
Latin
Latin
figura
“shape, form, figure”
Late Latin
Latin
configurare
“to form together, give a shape to”
Old French
Old French
configuration
“a forming, shaping, arrangement”
14th Century
English
configuration
“the arrangement or form of something”
Modern English
English
configuration
“the arrangement or structure of parts into a whole”