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aberration

[ ab-uh-rey-shuhn ]
/ ˌæb əˈreɪ ʃən /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aberration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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RELATED WORDS

aberrant, errant

Nearby words

  1. aberrant ductule,
  2. aberrant goiter,
  3. aberrant regeneration,
  4. aberrantly,
  5. aberrated,
  6. aberystwyth,
  7. abessive,
  8. abet,
  9. abetalipoproteinemia,
  10. abettor

Origin of aberration

1585–95; < Latin aberrātiōn- (stem of aberrātiō), equivalent to aberrāt(us), past participle of aberrāre (see aberrant) + -iōn- -ion
Related formsab·er·ra·tion·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aberrational

  • There is, however, a still graver and quite insuperable distinction between the parallactic path and the aberrational path.

    The Story of the Heavens|Robert Stawell Ball

British Dictionary definitions for aberrational

aberration

/ (ˌæbəˈreɪʃən) /

noun

deviation from what is normal, expected, or usual
departure from truth, morality, etc
a lapse in control of one's mental faculties
optics a defect in a lens or mirror that causes the formation of either a distorted image or one with coloured fringesSee also spherical aberration, chromatic aberration
astronomy the apparent displacement of a celestial body due to the finite speed of light and the motion of the observer with the earth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aberrational

aberration

n.

1590s, "a wandering, straying," from Latin aberrationem (nominative aberratio) "a wandering," noun of action from past participle stem of aberrare "to wander out of the way, lose the way, go astray," from ab- "away" (see ab-) + errare "to wander" (see err). Meaning "deviation from the normal type" first attested 1846.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for aberrational

aberration

[ ăb′ə-rā′shən ]

n.

A departure from the normal or typical.
A psychological disorder or abnormal alteration in one's mental state.
A defect of focus, such as blurring in an image.
An imperfect image caused by a physical defect in an optical element, as in a lens.
A deviation in the normal genetic structure or number of chromosomes in an organism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for aberrational

aberration

[ ăb′ə-rā′shən ]

A deviation in the normal structure or number of chromosomes in an organism.
A defect in a lens or mirror that prevents light rays from being focused at a single point and results in a distorted or blurred image.♦ Aberration that results in distortion of color is called chromatic aberration.♦ Aberration that is caused by imperfections in the surface or shape of a spherical mirror or lens is called spherical aberration. See also astigmatism coma2.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.