concentrationn.
/ˌkɒnsnˈtreɪʃn/, /ˌkɒnsɛnˈtreɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌkɑnsənˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/ 1. Something which has been or become concentrated; a concentrated collection or mass.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > mass formed by collection of particles
aggregatea1425
aggregation1547
concentration1606
compositure1632
collective1655
conglomeration1697
agglutination1743
1606 H. Peacham Art of Drawing viii. 25 All circular and round bodies that receiue a concentration of the light, as the light of a burning glasse, when it dooth gather it selfe into a small center, must bee shadowed in circular manner.
1747 D. E. Baker Metaphysics of Sir Isaac Newton vi. 45 The Soul, says he, is a Concentration, a living Mirror of the whole Universe.
1783 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 73 App. p. v A great quantity of water coming..from the subterraneous concentrations.
1846 C. E. Francatelli Mod. Cook p. xii Brightly glazed with a concentration of their own liquor.
1931 Discovery 12 317/1 The..‘kril’, on which the whales feed are not..to be found only in local concentrations, but are spread over immense areas in the open ocean.
1989 Skin Diver May 94/2 This site features excellent concentrations of hard corals that, surprisingly, grow nearly up to the ironshore of the island.
2. † d. With reference to thought, language, etc.: the action of making more condensed; contraction, shrinkage. Obsolete.
a. The action or an act of coming together at a single place, point, or focus, esp. with a resultant increase in intensity or power; the action or an act of bringing things together in this way, or of bringing together power, wealth, resources, etc., in the control of one or more individuals; the state of being so concentrated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inclination > state or quality of being convergent > [noun] > action or fact of converging
congress1578
contracting1585
congression1611
concentration1612
concentering1641
convergence1713
convergency1794
convergement1839
focusing1844
the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > increase in intensity > intensify by concentration
concentration1612
condensation1854
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > [noun] > focus of attention > convergence on
concentration1612
centring1705
focusing1883
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > [noun] > gathering together > gathering or coming together > in a common centre
concentration1612
1612 H. Peacham Graphice i. xi. 40 Why a burning glasse causeth fire. The reason is the concurse and concentration of the broken beames.
1646 H. Lawrence Of Communion & Warre with Angels 92 There is a concentration of thoughts.
1665 R. Boyle New Exper. & Observ. Cold 585 I could not perceive by any concentration of the Lunar beams..that her light did produce any sensible degree, either of cold or heat.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 80. ⁋8 Gloom and silence produce composure of mind, and concentration of ideas.
1752 V. Miller Man-plant 22 A sort of Sacculus.., so necessary..for the Concentration of the Genial Heat, and for the containing a competent Provision of Nourishment for the Fœtus.
1841 G. Catlin Lett. N. Amer. Indians II. xxxii. 1 It is the concentration point of a number of hostile tribes.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §1. 340 This unprecedented concentration of all power in the hands of a single man.
1881 Nature No. 619. 446 The concentration of related species in the same area.
1931 H. G. Wells Work, Wealth & Happiness Mankind (1932) ix. 382 In every preceding phase where there has been a concentration of wealth it has been far less easily converted into kinetic purchasing power.
1940 N.Y. Herald Tribune 19 July 17/1 A ‘scare’ bomb exploded at 2:30 p.m. yesterday..causing a large concentration of police.
2011 Independent 5 Sept. 3/2 The Labour government initiated the concentration of specialist services in fewer hospitals.
b. Military. The action of bringing troops closer together so as to increase their numbers in a particular place; the result of this.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > [noun] > concentrating or massing troops
bodying1648
concentration1787
massing1870
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement towards a thing, person, or position > [noun] > towards a centre > of living beings
concentration1787
1787 European Mag. & London Rev. Sept. 239/2 His Majesty thought a concentration of troops necessary.
1804 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) III. 393 The concentration of your force in one position.
1873 A. Borbstædt & F. Dwyer Franco-German War ix. 195 The executive commission..drew up a general plan for the transport of the whole army, according to the directions for its concentration on the west frontier.
1920 Times 10 Feb. 12/5 The result of these and the preceding raids has been to prevent the Bolshevists from using their chief lateral railway..for troop concentration.
1962 C. A. Johnson Peasant Nationalism & Communist Power iii. 73 As a result of this concentration, the Red Army existing in the Shensi base at the close of 1936 was probably between 80,000 and 90,000 strong.
2000 E. R. May Strange Victory xvi. 236 Only a few days after suggesting concentration toward the south.., Hitler went back to pressing for a two-pronged offensive north and south of Liège.
c. Economics. Amalgamation of firms, factories, producers, etc., in a particular market or industry; the extent to which a market or industry is dominated by a limited number of firms.
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society > occupation and work > business affairs > management methods or systems > [noun] > other methods or systems
Sisyphism1846
concentration1848
sweating system1851
mutualization1904
functionalization1912
spread-over1919
taipanism1921
Taylorism1928
Taylorization1929
unitization1929
stretch-out1933
speed-up1935
Stakhanovism1936
corporatization1949
suboptimization1950
quality management1953
matrix management1959
customization1967
divisionalization1967
knowledge management1971
just-in-time1977
kanban system1977
intrapreneurialism1982
kaizen1985
hot-desking1991
hotelling1991
society > occupation and work > business affairs > a business or company > [noun] > focussing of resources within a company
concentration1848
1848 Plough, Loom, & Anvil July 19 That the effect of concentration has not been fully produced, has been due to the fact that the question of protection has..always been a party one, and not a national one.
1882 P. W. Clayden Politics for Londoners No. 1. 9 The people who have been driven from the land must be brought back. The policy of concentration and covetousness must be reversed and one of ‘live and let live’ be set up.
1902 Q. Jrnl. Econ. 16 268 There was concentration among the stronger concerns and extermination of the weaker.
1941 Economist 8 Mar. 297/1 The necessity for a measure of induced—and, if necessary, compelled—concentration of production in restricted industries is no novelty.
1986 F. McGowan & C. Trengrove European Aviation ii. iv. 79 Allowing for the simultaneity..makes it difficult to conclude whether high market concentration is one cause of higher fares.
2013 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 23 May 16/1 The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index..measures the level of concentration in industries, and thus helps show how competitive they are.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > [noun] > concentration or condensation
compaction1398
compacting1561
condensation1603
coaction1625
concentration1865
pemmicanization1901
1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. i. 17 But epochs of concentration cannot well endure for ever; epochs of expansion, in the due course of things, follow them.
1871 J. Ruskin Munera Pulveris (1880) 26 My affected concentration of language.
ΚΠ
1675 N. Grew Disc. conc. Mixture iii. 54 Concentration, is when two, or more Atomes touch by Reception and Intrusion of one into another: which is the closest, and firmest Mixture of all; as in any fixed, unodorable, or untastable body.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Concentration (according to Dr. Grew), is the highest Degree of Mixture, as when two or more Atoms or Particles of the Mixture, do touch by the receiving or thrusting of one into the other.
4.
a. The extraction or separation of gold, silver, or other metal present in an alloy, solution, etc. Now rare.
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the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > [noun] > chemical reactions or processes (named) > miscellaneous other processes
redintegrationa1550
decoction1555
fixion1555
cementation1592
fumigation1617
spiritualization1651
retortion1657
rocking1673
phosphorizationa1687
concentration1689
humectation1706
animalization1733
hyperoxygenation1793
bituminization1804
assimilation1830
metamorphosis1843
transformation1857
retorting1858
tincturation1860
regeneration1869
nitrification1880
diagenesis1886
aluminothermy1900
aluminothermics1902
photoprocess1910
olation1931
mass transfer1937
reconcentration1956
tritiation1961
borohydride reduction1965
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > refining > methods of
calcinationc1386
calciningc1386
liquation1471
fulmination1617
cupelling1644
decrepitating1662
decrepitation1669
fulguration1676
concentration1689
cupellationa1691
scorification1755
affination1851
thermite process1905
zone melting1952
zone refining1952
zone levelling1953
1689 C. Packe tr. J. R. Glauber Wks. i. 325/1 Where more such-like concentrations of Metals [L. Metallorum concentrationes] shall be mentioned.
1799 tr. Laboratory (ed. 6) I. ii. 75 Parting of Gold from Silver, by Cementation..is also called parting by concentration.
1856 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. II. xvi. 994 (heading) Concentration of silver in lead by Pattinson's process.
1897 Proc. Chem. & Metall. Soc. S. Afr. July 84 The concentration of gold from the liquid.
1962 Jrnl. Appl. Chem. U.S.S.R. 34 1758 The use of an electron-exchange resin for concentration of silver from ammoniacal nitrate solution.
b. Mining. The removal of gangue and less valuable portions of ore in preparation for further refining and extraction of its contents.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > mining > [noun] > excavating or dressing ore > dressing ore > specific methods or minerals
spalling1758
tozing1789
concentration1835
trunking1838
concentrating1872
all-sliming1905
stampage1910
sliming1920
1835 C. F. Partington Brit. Cycl. Arts & Sci. II. 60/1 Mechanical concentration falls under two principal heads; the separation by hammer, or stamps, and the washing works.
1873 J. S. Phillips Metallurgist's Compan. (ed. 2) 472 Dry concentration by Hand..should always be resorted to.
1938 R. Hum Chem. for Engin. Students xxii. 578 The roasting process is carried out after the ore has been subjected to the usual concentration processes.
1951 C. R. Noller Chem. Org. Compounds xvi. 311 The sodium alkyl xanthates are used as collecting agents in the flotation process for the concentration of ores.
2006 J. O. Marsden & C. I. House Chem. Gold Extraction (ed. 2) iii. 82 Gravity concentration is used widely for the recovery of free gold and gold associated with heavier minerals.
5.
a. Chemistry. The action of increasing the relative amount of one or more components of a solution or mixture, typically by evaporating or otherwise removing solvent or by a selective accumulation of atoms or molecules (cf. concentrate v. 3a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > solutions > [noun] > concentration
strength1665
concentration1692
concentrating1802
1692 W. Y-Worth Chymicus Rationalis vii. 85 Now seeing the true Spirit of Salt and Spirit of Nitre..we shall shew the Concentration of the Spirit of Nitre, by which 'tis made more powerful in Dissolution.
1703 G. Wilson Compl. Course Chymistry (ed. 2) ii. ix. 226 Observe, that the same Venus will serve several times for the Concentration of more Distill'd Vinegar.
1799 C. Hatchett in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 89 316 The phosphoric acid..was proved, after concentration.
1831 Lancet 2 Apr. 5/1 A prominent..character of the iodates of the veget[able]. alkalies is the property which they possess of being precipitated by an excess of iodic acid, or even by a concentration of their solutions.
1864 Proc. Royal Soc. 1863–4 13 314 The dialyzed liquid, after subsequent filtration and concentration, is mixed with basic acetate of lead.
1932 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 31 Mar. 5/2 Although the serum is not so potent as that from patients who have recently recovered from measles, it is hoped that modern methods of concentration may make it so.
1997 G. S. Helfman et al. Diversity of Fishes xvii. 314/2 Hypersalinity occurs..due to daily or seasonal evaporation and concentration of salts as water courses dry up during low tides or droughts.
2005 Da-Wen Sun Emerging Technol. Food Processing ix. 240 Traditional manufacturing methods require concentration by heat treatment, which causes quality changes.
b. Chemistry. The state or degree of being concentrated; the amount of a given substance relative to the overall amount of a solution, mixture, etc., in which it is present; the quantity of a given substance in a given volume.
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1727 E. Strother in tr. P. Hermann Materia Medica I. Pref. p. xii It is certain, that Medicines of one and the same Class do differ from each other in the Concentration of their Salts and Oils.
1791 Monthly Rev. Dec. 438 Combustible bodies have a high concentration of fire [sc. phlogiston].
1851 Dublin Q. Jrnl Med. Sci. 12 344 These effects are rapid and complete, in proportion to the moisture and warmth of the air, and the concentration of malaria in it.
1872 H. Watts Dict. Chem. Suppl. 674 Up to a concentration of 8 parts in 100.
1912 Times 14 Feb. 24/2 They stated that by the smell concentrations of ozone of far less than one part in a million could be detected.
1951 Industr. & Engin. Chem. 43 2184/2 The sugar test..gives the concentration of a sucrose solution of the same density as the juice being tested.
2003 Daily Tel. 20 Feb. 7/4 Chemical analysis of the pool water shows cyanuric acid..at five times the recommended concentration.
c. gen. The number of things contained within a given portion of a whole or of space; the number of things regarded as a proportion of a whole.
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1930 Ecology 11 111 The highest reported concentration of midge larvae of which the authors are aware is that described by Claassen.
1972 Lock Haven (Pa.) Express 12 Jan. 15/7 Alaska and Hawaii had the lowest concentrations of older persons.
2010 Oxoniensia 74 139 By 1524 it was the poorest parish in Oxford, characterized by high concentrations of unskilled wage-labourers and artisans.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disordered pulse or circulation > [noun] > other pulse disorders
rarity1583
softness of the pulse1632
concentration1714
tightness1785
organic pulse1822
bigeminy1904
1714 J. Purcell Treat. Cholick 103 When the Indigestions are of a Sower and Acid Nature; that is known by the Constitution of the Patient, by the Coldness of the extream Parts, the Concentration and Lowness of the Pulse.
1818 Medico-chirurg. Jrnl. 1 256 Momentary change in the seat of the pain, which passed from the right to the left iliac region; and increased smallness and concentration of the pulse.
1858 J. Copland Dict. Pract. Med. III. i. 268/1 Hardness of the pulse was considered by Baglivi as the most distinctive symptom of pleurisy. The concentration and hardness of the pulse are generally remarkable in proportion to the acuteness of the pain.
7.
a. With on, upon. The process of directing effort and attention on a particular thing.
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1820 J. Penrose Inq. Human Motives ii. vii. 256 We have seen that a concentration on some particular objects is also necessary to the conduct of all pursuits with an adequate degree of vigour or of success.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits vi. 113 Nothing so much marks their manners as the concentration on their household ties.
1883 Cent. Mag. Jan. 469/1 On the one hand, its concentration on self, its self-importance, its rambling vein, its straining, are most youthful.
1913 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 18 442 The orderly progress of social science in Germany was..arrested for a long time by necessary concentration upon the disturbing problems of revolution and Napoleonism.
1960 D. Butler & C. Rose Brit. Gen. Election 1959 xi. 135 Despite the concentration on marginal seats, the Conservatives managed to put on a full-scale campaign almost everywhere.
2004 Slightly Foxed Spring 5 Concentration on a small number of high-profile books from large publishers tends to edge out other new books from the review pages.
b. The continued focusing of one's attention on something; the ability to sustain such focus.
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the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > [noun]
intendance1390
intentionc1400
intensiona1619
absorption1640
immersion1647
preoccupation1788
concentration1823
engrossment1838
self-condensation1841
enchainment1849
submergence1872
immersal1901
absorbency1974
1823 Lit. Examiner 12 July 28 The dissimilarity to the model consists in its greater air of candour and bonhommie; and in the intrusion of inferences, which are less the result of general observation than of personal experience. The first of these differences implies a less portion of brilliancy and pointedness, and the latter of concentration and abstraction.
1838 B. R. Haydon in B. R. Haydon & W. Hazlitt Painting & Fine Arts 143 The evidence of superior genius is the power of intellectual concentration.
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind i. 13 It is a question, whether the student..might not lose more in largeness of view than he gained by concentration.
1910 Pop. Mech. Apr. 114 A writer in the New York Herald, gives the causes of failures in the following order: Indolence. Headstrongness. The gambling instinct. Lack of concentration. [etc.]
1956 ‘I. English’ Every Eye 107 I envied for a moment the pure concentration and purpose that these women applied to everything.
2003 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 12 Jan. (Body + Soul section) 2/2 The body blues is a condition characterised by low energy, high tension and sleep and concentration problems.
2012 Church Times 5 Apr. 18/2 Schoolchildren in hoodies wearing looks of studied concentration.
c. U.S. In a university, college, etc.: participation in a principal course of study, esp. as a requirement for graduation. Also as count noun: a student's major (major n.1 3) or specific subject of study within a major.
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1912 N.Y. Times 8 Dec. vi. 19/1 Courses taken in the freshman year are counted in fulfilling the requirement of concentration.
1948 Berkeley (Calif.) Daily Gaz. 19 May 7/4 A graduate or undergraduate woman..with a concentration in accounting.
1965 Princeton Alumni Weekly 19 Oct. 10 All degree candidates..must select a field of concentration.
2001 M. Reid Sex & Single Sister 177 I studied sociology with a concentration in urban societies.
Compounds
concentration cell n. an electrolytic cell whose electromotive force is a result of its half cells containing differing concentrations of the same solution.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > galvanism, voltaism > [noun] > voltaic cell
cell1801
standard cell1864
Bunsen cell1870
Clark cell1884
concentration cell1888
cadmium cell1893
1888 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 54 13 Next the concentration cell was introduced.
1960 New Scientist 15 Dec. 1596/1 As many bacteria form quantities of organic acids, localized concentration cells could occur.
2008 J. W. Moore et al. Chemistry (ed. 3) II. xix. 949 Consider a concentration cell consisting of two hydrogen electrodes, which can be used to measure pH.
concentration span n. the length of time a person can attend continuously to a single subject, activity, etc.; = attention span n. at attention n. Additions.
ΚΠ
1931 Recreation Apr. 19/1 Though a child likes to make things, his concentration span is not very great, and it is important that he be able to construct things quickly.
1982 P. Redmond Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 6. 41 (stage direct.) The teacher is walking about room droning on about the law of diminishing returns..which has obviously come into play on Karen's concentration span as she is sloped back in chair with eyes shut.
2004 D. Mitchell Cloud Atlas (U.K. ed.) 156 Jarvis Hoggins scanned the contract for a moment but tore it up when it proved longer than his concentration span.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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