demonstration
n. C / Un. an event where you show how something works or prove that something is true. It can also mean a public meeting where people march to show they disagree with something.
n. the act of showing or explaining how something functions; a public display of group opinion, such as a protest march. Also used in formal logic or mathematics to describe a proof that establishes a conclusion.
The chef gave a quick demonstration of how to make pasta.
Thousands of people joined the peaceful demonstration in the city center to protest the new tax laws.
The software engineer provided a technical demonstration of the new encryption protocol, successfully proving its efficiency against common security threats during the live presentation.
From Middle English demonstracioun, from Old French demonstration, from Latin dēmōnstrātiōnem, from dēmōnstrāre (“show or explain”), from dē- (“of or concerning”) + mōnstrāre (“show”). Morphologically demonstrate + -ion.
Often takes the preposition 'of' when referring to an explanation of a process, or 'against' when referring to a protest.