abstraction

[ab-strak-shuhn]

noun

1. an abstract or general idea or term.

2. the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.

3. an impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.

4. the act of taking away or separating; withdrawal.

   The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies.

5. secret removal, especially theft.

6. absent-mindedness; inattention; mental absorption.

7. Fine Arts.

   1. the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.

   2. a work of art, especially a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.

abstraction

/ æbˈstrækʃən /

noun

1. absence of mind; preoccupation

2. the process of formulating generalized ideas or concepts by extracting common qualities from specific examples

3. an idea or concept formulated in this way

   good and evil are abstractions

4. logic an operator that forms a class name or predicate from any given expression See also lambda calculus

5. an abstract painting, sculpture, etc

6. the act of withdrawing or removing

Other Word Forms

• abstractional adjective
• abstractively adverb
• abstractive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abstraction¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin abstractiōn-, stem of abstractiō “separation,” literally, “a drawing off,” from abstract(us) “drawn off” + -iō noun suffix; abstract -ion

Example Sentences

Both brains and slugs use the same chemical mechanisms to develop abstractions, general rules to guide their hosts through the chaos of moment-to-moment experience.

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At the same time the image is simplified to the point of abstraction.

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It isn’t only because dramatic realism is broadly appealing to a public in ways modern abstraction isn’t.

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In Monet’s views of the Palazzo Ducale seen from a gondola, the pale wall of the building and its block of rosy reflection threaten to become an abstraction.

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His people take on the pared-down faces of Léger’s own figures; abstraction creeps in and geometry becomes a major consideration; color appears in broad strokes and washes, unifying bustling scenes and roiling elements.

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