Definitions of preparation:

• noun:   the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose

  Example: "Preparations for the ceremony had begun"

• noun:   (music) a note that produces a dissonant chord is first heard in a consonant chord

  Example: "The resolution of one dissonance is often the preparation for another disonance"

• noun:   activity leading to skilled behavior
• noun:   the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening
• noun:   a substance prepared according to a formula
• noun:   the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat

  Example: "He left the preparation of meals to his wife"

• noun:   preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home)
• noun:   the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)

  Example: "Their preparation was more than adequate"