Definitions for abstraction
æbˈstræk ʃənab·strac·tion

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abstraction, abstractnoun

   a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance

   "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person"

2. abstractionnoun

   the act of withdrawing or removing something

3. abstraction, generalization, generalisationnoun

   the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances

4. abstractionnoun

   an abstract painting

5. abstractedness, abstractionnoun

   preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else

6. abstraction, abstract entitynoun

   a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abstractionnoun

   The act of abstracting, separating, or withdrawing, or the state of being withdrawn; withdrawal.

2. abstractionnoun

   The act of leaving out of consideration one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend to others; analysis.

   Note: Abstraction is necessary to classification, by which organisms are grouped into genera and species according to the qualities they share.

3. abstractionnoun

   An idea or notion of an abstract, or theoretical nature; as, to fight for mere abstractions.

4. abstractionnoun

   A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as, a hermit's abstraction.

5. abstractionnoun

   Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects.

6. abstractionnoun

   The taking surreptitiously for one's own use part of the property of another; purloining.

7. abstractionnoun

   A separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation. - Nicholson

8. abstractionnoun

   Removal of water from a river, lake, or aquifer, typically for industrial or agricultural uses.

9. abstractionnoun

   Any generalization technique that ignores or hides details to capture some kind of commonality between different instances for the purpose of controlling the intellectual complexity of engineered systems, particularly software systems.

10. abstractionnoun

    Any intellectual construct produced through the technique of abstraction.

11. abstractionnoun

    An abstract creation, or piece of art.

12. Etymology: * First attested around 1400.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Abstractionnoun

   Etymology: abstractio, Lat.

   1. The act of abstracting.

   The word abstraction signifies a withdrawing some part of an idea from other parts of it; by which means, such abstracted ideas are formed, as neither represent any thing corporeal or spiritual; that is, any thing peculiar or proper to mind or body. Isaac Watts, Logick.

   2. The state of being abstracted.3. Absence of mind, inattention.4. Disregard of worldly objects.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Abstraction

   Abstraction in its main sense is a conceptual process wherein general rules and concepts are derived from the usage and classification of specific examples, literal ("real" or "concrete") signifiers, first principles, or other methods. "An abstraction" is the outcome of this process—a concept that acts as a common noun for all subordinate concepts and connects any related concepts as a group, field, or category.Conceptual abstractions may be formed by filtering the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon, selecting only those aspects which are relevant for a particular purpose. For example, abstracting a leather soccer ball to the more general idea of a ball selects only the information on general ball attributes and behavior, excluding but not eliminating the other phenomenal and cognitive characteristics of that particular ball. In a type–token distinction, a type (e.g., a 'ball') is more abstract than its tokens (e.g., 'that leather soccer ball'). Abstraction in its secondary use is a material process, discussed in the themes below.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Abstractionadjective

   the act of abstracting, separating, or withdrawing, or the state of being withdrawn; withdrawal

2. Abstractionadjective

   the act process of leaving out of consideration one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend to others; analysis. Thus, when the mind considers the form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as separate from their size or figure, the act is called abstraction. So, also, when it considers whiteness, softness, virtue, existence, as separate from any particular objects

3. Abstractionadjective

   an idea or notion of an abstract, or theoretical nature; as, to fight for mere abstractions

4. Abstractionadjective

   a separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as, a hermit's abstraction

5. Abstractionadjective

   absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects

6. Abstractionadjective

   the taking surreptitiously for one's own use part of the property of another; purloining

7. Abstractionadjective

   a separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation

8. Etymology: [Cf. F. abstraction. See Abstract, a.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Abstraction

   Abstraction is a process by which concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods. "An abstraction" is the product of this process – a concept that acts as a super-categorical noun for all subordinate concepts, and connects any related concepts as a group, field, or category. Abstractions may be formed by reducing the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon, typically to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose. For example, abstracting a leather soccer ball to the more general idea of a ball retains only the information on general ball attributes and behavior, eliminating the other characteristics of that particular ball.

Matched Categories

1. • Concept
   • Painting
   • Preoccupation
   • Removal
   • Theorization

How to pronounce abstraction?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say abstraction in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of abstraction in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of abstraction in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of abstraction in a Sentence

1. Felix Adler:

   The conception of worth, that each person is an end per se, is not a mere abstraction. Our interest in it is not merely academic. Every outcry against the oppression of some people by other people, or against what is morally hideous is the affirmation of the principle that a human being as such is not to be violated. A human being is not to be handled as a tool but is to be respected and revered.

2. Abraham Harold Maslow:

   Become aware of internal, subjective subverbal experiences, so that these experiences can be brought into the world of abstraction, of conversation, of naming, etc., with the consequence that it immediately becomes possible for a certain amount of control to be exerted over these hither unconscious and uncontrollable processes

3. Mark Evans:

   Botticelli fell, sank from sight for nearly 300 years. In the early 19th century he was rediscovered. The Pre-Raphaelites of course fetishised him, in the era of abstraction, Botticelli again receded into the shadows but, with pop art, he came out fighting and of course he's now one of the most celebrated global phenomena in art.

4. Havelock Ellis:

   Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself.

5. Walter Lippmann:

   Because the results are expressed in numbers, it is easy to make the mistake of thinking that the intelligence test is a measure like a foot ruler or a pair of scales. It is, of course, a quite different sort of measure. Intelligence is not an abstraction like length and weight; it is an exceedingly complicated notion - which nobody has yet succeeded in defining.

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