concept

American  

[kon-sept] / ˈkɒn sɛpt /

noun

1. a general notion or idea; conception.

2. an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.

3. a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.

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adjective

1. functioning as a prototype or model of new product or innovation.

   a concept car,

   a concept phone.

verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to develop a concept of; conceive.

   He concepted and produced three films.

concept British  

/ ˈkɒnsɛpt /

noun

1. an idea, esp an abstract idea

   the concepts of biology

2. 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

3. 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

4. (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

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Etymology

Origin of concept

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin conceptum “something conceived,” originally neuter of conceptus “conceived,” past participle of concipere “to conceive,” equivalent to con- con- ( def. ) + -cipere, combining form of capere “to seize”

Example Sentences

A familiar example of this concept, known as indirect genetic effects, occurs when a mother's genes influence her offspring's growth or immune system through the environment she provides.

From Science Daily

"Turning a cutting-edge academic concept into something a commercial fab can build is an enormous challenge," said co-author Mark Nelson, vice president of technology development operations at SkyWater Technology.

From Science Daily

The holiday singles continued yearly until 1969, and each year, the band took the concept further and further out.

From Salon

Bush said that concept fit right in with “continuing this discussion about how we as human beings have a hard time looking past each other’s differences.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sotto ascended quickly while at Imagineering, rising to the position of senior vice president, concept design.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• approach
• conception
• image
• notion
• perception
• theory
• thought
• view