definitions

concept

[ kon-sept ]
/ ˈkɒn sɛpt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR concept ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a general notion or idea; conception.
an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.
a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.

adjective

functioning as a prototype or model of new product or innovation: a concept car, a concept phone.

verb (used with object)

Informal. to develop a concept of; conceive: He concepted and produced three films.

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RELATED WORDS

perception, conception, theory, image, thought, approach, notion, view, impression, abstraction, brainchild, apprehension, slant, supposition, twist, conceit, hypothesis, consideration, wrinkle, conceptualization

Nearby words

concentric, concentric hypertrophy, concentric lamella, concentricity, concepción, concept, concept art, concept formation, conceptacle, conception, conception rate

Origin of concept

1550–60; < Latin conceptum something conceived, orig. neuter of conceptus (past participle of concipere), equivalent to con- con- + cep- (variant stem of -cipere, combining form of capere to seize) + -tus past participle ending
Can be confusedconcept conception inception
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for concept

British Dictionary definitions for concept

concept

/ (ˈkɒnsɛpt) /

noun

an idea, esp an abstract ideathe concepts of biology
philosophy a general idea or notion that corresponds to some class of entities and that consists of the characteristic or essential features of the class
philosophy
  1. the conjunction of all the characteristic features of something
  2. a theoretical construct within some theory
  3. a directly intuited object of thought
  4. the meaning of a predicate
(modifier) (of a product, esp a car) created as an exercise to demonstrate the technical skills and imagination of the designers, and not intended for mass production or sale

Word Origin for concept

C16: from Latin conceptum something received or conceived, from concipere to take in, conceive
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 concept

concept

n.

1550s, from Medieval Latin conceptum "draft, abstract," in classical Latin "(a thing) conceived," from concep-, past participle stem of concipere "to take in" (see conceive). In some 16c. cases a refashioning of conceit (perhaps to avoid negative connotations).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for concept

concept

[ kŏn′sĕpt′ ]

n.

An abstract idea or notion.
An explanatory principle in a scientific system.conception
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.