Definition: Exploration

From New World Encyclopedia
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Etymology

From Middle French exploration, from Latin exploratio. Morphologically explore + -ation.

Noun

exploration (countable and uncountable, plural explorations)

  1. The process of exploring; the process of investigating or examining something systematically, or traveling somewhere in search of discovery.
  2. The process of penetrating, or ranging over for purposes of (especially geographical) discovery.
    The exploration of unknown areas was often the precursor to colonization.
  3. The (pre-)mining process of finding and determining commercially viable ore deposits (after prospecting), also called mineral exploration.
  4. (medicine) A physical examination of a patient.

Derived terms

Related terms

  • explorative
  • exploratory
  • explorer

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