conditioning

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
condition/kənˈdɪʃn/

▶noun

• 1 the state of something or someone, with regard to appearance, fitness, or working order.

  ■ an illness or medical problem.

  ■ archaic social position.

• 2 (conditions) circumstances affecting the functioning or existence of something.

• 3 a state of affairs that must exist before something else is possible.

▶verb

• 1 have a significant influence on.

  ■ train or accustom to behave in a certain way.

  ■ (as adj. conditioned) relating to or denoting automatic responses established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus.

• 2 bring into the desired state for use.

  ■ (often as adj. conditioned) make fit and healthy.

• 3 apply conditioner to (the hair).

• 4 set prior requirements on (something) before it can occur.

– phrases
in (or out of) condition in a fit (or unfit) physical state.
on condition that with the stipulation that.

– origin ME: from OFr. condicion (n.), condicionner (v.), from L. condicio(n-) ‘agreement’, from condicere ‘agree upon’, from con- ‘with’ + dicere ‘say’.