fixation

Etymology

From Old French fixation. Surface analysis: fix + -ation.

noun

1. The act of fixing.
2. The state of being fixed or fixated.
3. The act of uniting chemically with a solid substance or in a solid form; reduction to a non-volatile condition; -- said of volatile elements.
4. The act or process of ceasing to be fluid and becoming firm.
5. In metals, a state of resistance to evaporation or volatilization by heat.
6. A state of mind involving obsession with a particular person, idea, or thing.
   Increasingly it is being realised that a modern conurbation's transport problems cannot be solved if there is a fixation on profit and loss in public transport—…. 1962 October, “The Victoria Line”, in Modern Railways, page 218
7. (law) Recording a creative work in a medium of expression for more than a transitory duration, thereby satisfying the "fixation" requirement for the purposes of copyright law.
   In order to obtain copyright on a recording in the United States, the recording must have been reduced to fixation on or after February 15, 1972.
8. (genetics) The change in a gene pool from a situation where there exists at least two variants of a particular gene (allele) to a situation where only one of the alleles remains.
9. (cytology, histology, pathology) preservation of biological tissues from decay due to autolysis or putrefaction.
10. (orthopaedics) process by which an injury is rendered immobile.
11. (ophthalmology) maintaining of the gaze on a single location.