presentation
UK[ˌprez.ənˈteɪ.ʃən]US[ˌpriː.zenˈteɪ.ʃən]
n
The act of formally giving something to someone, especially at a ceremony.
n
A formal talk in which you describe or explain something to a group of people.
n
The way in which something is shown, arranged, or offered.
Morpheme Breakdown
pre
sent
ation
pre
before
sent
to put, to place
ation
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'presentation' originates from the Latin verb praesentare, meaning "to place before, to show". This verb itself is a compound of the prefix prae- ("before") and the verb sentire, a variant stem of ponere ("to put, to place"). The core concept is the act of putting something forth into view or consideration. Over time, the meaning evolved from the physical act of placing an object before someone to the more abstract acts of formally bestowing an award, introducing a person, or delivering information to an audience. The suffix -ation solidified its role as a noun describing the process or result of this action.
Analysis
Structure: pre (before) + sent (to put, to place) + ation (noun suffix)
- pre: Latin origin, meaning "before, in front of". A prefix indicating position or priority.
- sent: From Latin sent-, the present participle stem of ponere, meaning "to put, to place".
- ation: Latin suffix -ationem, forming nouns of action or state from verbs.
Examples
The presentation of the awards will take place after dinner.
She gave an excellent presentation on climate change to the board.
The website's presentation of the data is very clear and user-friendly.