expectation

== English == === Alternative forms === expection (rare, otherwise archaic) === Etymology === From Middle French expectation, from Latin exspectātiō, from exspectō (“expect”). By surface analysis, expect +‎ -ation. Displaced native Old English wēn. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/ (Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˌek.spekˈtæɪ.ʃən/ Rhymes: -eɪʃən === Noun === expectation (countable and uncountable, plural expectations) The act or state of expecting or looking forward to an event as about to happen. That which is expected or looked for. An implicit obligation or duty held by another in someone's view. The prospect of the future; grounds upon which something excellent is expected to occur; prospect of anything good to come, especially of property or rank. The value of any chance (as the prospect of prize or property) which depends upon some contingent event. (statistics) The first moment; the expected value; the long-run average value of a variable over many independent repetitions of an experiment. (statistics, colloquial) The arithmetic mean. (medicine, rare) The leaving of a disease principally to the efforts of nature to effect a cure. ==== Usage notes ==== (value of any chance): Expectations are computed for or against the occurrence of the event. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== expect expectant expected ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== (statistics): Wikipedia:Expected value