abstraction

[ ab-strak-shuh n ]
/ æbˈstræk ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abstraction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Origin of abstraction

1540–50; < Late Latin abstractiōn- (stem of abstractiō) separation. See abstract, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM abstraction

ab·strac·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby abstraction

abstract space, abstract thinking, abstracted, abstracting journal, abstracting service, abstraction, abstractionism, abstractionist, abstractive, abstrict, abstriction

Words related to abstraction

remoteness, contemplation, reflection, reverie, thinking, absorption, aloofness, detachment, engrossment, musing, trance, consideration, cogitation, preoccupation, brooding, entrancement, pensiveness, pondering, reflecting

Example sentences from the Web for abstraction

British Dictionary definitions for abstraction

abstraction
/ (æbˈstrækʃən) /

noun

absence of mind; preoccupation
the process of formulating generalized ideas or concepts by extracting common qualities from specific examples
an idea or concept formulated in this way good and evil are abstractions
logic an operator that forms a class name or predicate from any given expression See also lambda calculus
an abstract painting, sculpture, etc
the act of withdrawing or removing

Derived forms of abstraction

abstractive, adjective abstractively, adverb

Medical definitions for abstraction

abstraction
[ ăb-străk′shən, əb- ]

n.

Distillation or separation of the volatile constituents of a substance.
Exclusive mental concentration; absent-mindedness.
A malocclusion in which the teeth or associated structures are lower than their normal occlusal plane.
The selection of a certain aspect of a concept from the whole.