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com·bi·na·tion

(kŏm′bə-nāshən)

1. The act of combining or the state of being combined.

2. The result of combining.

3. An alliance of persons or parties for a common purpose; an association.

4. A sequence of numbers or letters used to open a combination lock.

5. Mathematics One or more elements selected from a set without regard to the order of selection.

com′bi·nation·al adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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