Con*fig`u*ra"tion (?), n. [L.
configuratio.] 1. Form, as depending
on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; shape;
figure.
It is the variety of configurations [of the
mouth] . . . which gives birth and origin to the several
vowels.
Harris.
2. (Astrol.) Relative position or
aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to
the relative positions of the planets at any time.
They [astrologers] undertook . . . to determine
the course of a man's character and life from the
configuration of the stars at the moment of his birth.
Whewell.
3. (Chem.) the spatial arrangement
of atoms in a molecule as determined by the covalent bonds
between them; the three-dimensional structure that cannot be
changed without breaking the covalent bonds between atoms of a
molecule. It is distinguished from conformation, which is
the exact relative location in space of all of the atoms of a
molecule, which may vary at different times or in different
environments.
[PJC]
4. (Computers) a specification of
the parts of a computer system, consisting of the essential
components of the computer plus the complete set of all internal
and external devices directly attached to it; as, by the year
2000, a microcomputer configuration without a CD-ROM or
DVD drive will be unsalable.
[PJC]
