i•de•a^*aɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə(n.)

1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.

2. a thought, conception, or notion.

3. an impression:

   Give me a general idea of what happened.

4. an opinion, view, or belief.

5. a plan of action; intention:

   with the idea of becoming an engineer.

6. a purpose or guiding principle:

   What was the idea of that?

7. a groundless supposition; fantasy.

8. Philos. a concept developed by the mind. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal. (cap.) Platonism. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.

   Category: Philosphy

   Ref: Also called form. 1 12 3

9. a musical theme or figure.

   Category: Music and Dance

10. Obs. a likeness. a mental image.

^* Syn: idea , thought , conception , notion refer to a product of mental activity. idea refers to a mental representation that is the product of creative imagination: She had an excellent idea for the party. thought emphasizes the intellectual processes of reasoning, contemplating, reflecting, or recollecting: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. conception suggests imaginative, creative, and somewhat intricate mental activity: The architect's conception of the building was a glass skyscraper. notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: I had only a bare notion of how to proceed.Pron: See police.

Origin of idea:

1400–50; late ME idee < MF < LL < Gk idéā form, kind, sort

i•de′a•less(adj.)