identification-n; 6 Senses

Sense Number 1: the act or event of positively recognizing an entity

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+event][+cognition][+recognition][+of_object]

Examples:
It may be impossible for relatives to make positive identifications of the victims.
Each infant wears a bracelet for identification. (for the -act- of identifying the infant)
Accurate identification of that rare bird species is difficult because it looks similar to this bird.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 2: documentation that establishes proof of identity

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+entity][+artifact][+document][+proof][+of_identity]
NOTE: This is a narrow, widely-used sub-sense of Sense 3, it always implies documents.

Examples:
The police pulled John over and asked to see some identification.
You cannot get through airport security lines without proper identification.
The man's identification may have been forged.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 5

Sense Number 3: something which serves the role of establishing identity

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+relation][+role][+establisher][+of_identity]
NOTE: implies a trait, or situation that serves as proof of something.

Examples:
Dental records served as identification of the badly decomposed body.
In nature, right vivid colors are a common identification of poisonous creatures.
Tracks in cloud chambers are a key identification of sub-atomic particle collisions.

Mappings:
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 1b

Sense Number 4: the act of designating a role to someone

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+event][+social][+selection][+designation][+of_role]
NOTE: implies that an agent(s) selects or designates someone to play a role.

Examples:
The identification of a new CEO for their company will take some time.
The identification of who the next president would be had to wait for a recount of the votes.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 5: attributing characteristics of another to oneself, strong empathy

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+state][+mental][+attribution][+characteristic][+of_other][+to_self]
NOTE: always implies a subject's personal empathy with something

Examples:
Children often have a strong identification with the characters in storybooks.
The therapist helped the patient see his identification with his over-bearing mother.
Sally did not share her mother's identification with radical feminists.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4

Sense Number 6: making an association or link between things

Commentary: IDENTIFICATION[+state][+mental][+association][+link][+between_entities]
NOTE: does not imply the link is between the subject and something, (Sense 5) but between two external things

Examples:
It was the traditional Russian identification of democracy with anarchy.
John doesn't like polo shirts because of his identification of them with stodgy middle-aged med

Mappings:
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 1c