Lexic.us

Definition of Abstract

1. Noun. A concept or idea not associated with any specific instance. "He loved her only in the abstract--not in person"

2. Verb. Consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically.

3. Adjective. Existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment. "Abstract words like `truth' and `justice'"

4. Noun. A sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory.

5. Verb. Make off with belongings of others. "They abstract the money "

6. Adjective. Not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature. ; "A large abstract painting"

7. Verb. Consider apart from a particular case or instance. "Let's abstract away from this particular example"

8. Adjective. Dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention. "Abstract science"

9. Verb. Give an abstract (of).

Definition of Abstract

1. a. Withdraw; separate.

2. v. t. To withdraw; to separate; to take away.

3. v. t. To perform the process of abstraction.

4. n. That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief.

Definition of Abstract

1. Noun. An abridgement or summary. ¹

2. Noun. Something that concentrates in itself the qualities of larger item, or multiple items. ¹

3. Noun. An abstraction; an abstract term; that which is abstract. ¹

4. Noun. A summary title of the key points detailing a tract of land, for ownership; abstract of title. ¹

5. Noun. (context: arts) An abstract work of art. ¹

6. Noun. (context: medicine) A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance. ¹

7. Adjective. (archaic) Absent-minded. ¹

8. Adjective. Considered apart from any application to a particular object. ¹

9. Adjective. Difficult to understand; abstruse. ¹

10. Adjective. Insufficiently factual.(reference-book last = first = authorlink = coauthors = editor =Gove, Philip Babcock others = title = Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged origdate = origyear = 1909 origmonth = url = format = accessdate = accessyear = accessmonth = edition = date = year =1976 month = publisher =G. & C. Merriam Co. location = Springfield, MA language = id = doi = isbn =0-87779-101-5 lccn = ol = pages =8 chapter = chapterurl = quote =) ¹

11. Adjective. Not concrete; ideal. ¹

12. Adjective. A number or a unit that does not relate to an actual thing; ¹

13. Adjective. (archaic) Drawn away; removed from; apart from; separate. ¹

14. Adjective. Apart from practice or reality; vague; theoretical; impersonal. ¹

15. Adjective. (context: arts) Free from representational qualities. ¹

16. Adjective. (context: music) Absolute. ¹

17. Adjective. (context: dance) Lacking a story. ¹

18. Adjective. (context: logic) General (as opposed to particular). ¹

19. Adjective. (context: computing) Of a class in object-oriented programming, being a partial basis for subclasses rather than a complete template for objects. ¹

20. Verb. (context: transitive) To separate; to remove; to take away; withdraw. ¹

21. Verb. (context: transitive) To consider abstractly; to contemplate separately or by itself. ¹

22. Verb. (context: transitive) To summarize; to abridge; to epitomize. ¹

23. Verb. (context: transitive) To draw off (interest or attention). ¹

24. Verb. (context: transitive euphemistic) To steal; to take away; to remove without permission. ¹

25. Verb. (context: transitive arts) To create artistic abstractions of. ¹

26. Verb. (context: transitive obsolete) To extract by means of distillation. ¹

27. Verb. (context: intransitive rare) To perform the process of abstraction. ¹

28. Verb. (context: intransitive fine arts) To create abstractions. ¹

29. Verb. (context: intransitive) To withdraw oneself; to retire. ¹

30. Verb. (context: intransitive computing) To produce an abstraction, usually by refactoring existing code. Generally used with "out". ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Abstract

1. difficult to understand [adj -STRACTER, -STRACTEST] / to take away [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Abstract

1. 1. Withdraw; separate. "The more abstract . . . We are from the body." (Norris) 2. Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; exiting in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult. 3. Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; opposed to concrete; as, honesty is an abstract word. Resulting from the mental faculty of abstraction; general as opposed to particular; as, "reptile" is an abstract or general name. "A concrete name is a name which stands for a thing; an abstract name which stands for an attribute of a thing. A practice has grown up in more modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has gained currency from his example, of applying the expression "abstract name" to all names which are the result of abstraction and generalisation, and consequently to all general names, instead of confining it to the names of attributes." (J. S. Mill) 4. Abstracted; absent in mind. "Abstract, as in a trance. " An abstract idea, an idea separated from a complex object, or from other ideas which naturally accompany it; as the solidity of marble when contemplated apart from its colour or figure. Abstract terms, those which express abstract ideas, as beauty, whiteness, roundness, without regarding any object in which they exist; or abstract terms are the names of orders, genera or species of things, in which there is a combination of similar qualities. Abstract numbers, numbers used without application to things, as 6, 8, 10; but when applied to any thing, as 6 feet, 10 men, they become concrete. Abstract or Pure mathematics. See Mathematics. Origin: L. Abstractus, p. P. Of abstrahere to draw from, separate; ab, abs + trahere to draw. See Trace. 1. To withdraw; to separate; to take away. "He was incapable of forming any opinion or resolution abstracted from his own prejudices." (Sir W. Scott) 2. To draw off in respect to interest or attention; as, his was wholly abstracted by other objects. "The young stranger had been abstracted and silent." (Blackw. Mag) 3. To separate, as ideas, by the operation of the mind; to consider by itself; to contemplate separately, as a quality or attribute. 4. To epitomize; to abridge. 5. To take secretly or dishonestly; to purloin; as, to abstract goods from a parcel, or money from a till. "Von Rosen had quietly abstracted the bearing-reins from the harness." (W. Black) 6. To separate, as the more volatile or soluble parts of a substance, by distillation or other chemical processes. In this sense extract is now more generally used. Origin: See Abstract. 1. That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief. "An abstract of every treatise he had read." (Watts) "Man, the abstract Of all perfection, which the workmanship Of Heaven hath modeled." (Ford) 2. A state of separation from other things; as, to consider a subject in the abstract, or apart from other associated things. 3. An abstract term. "The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety."" (J. S. Mill) 4. A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance. Abstract of title, an epitome of the evidences of ownership. Synonym: Abridgment, compendium, epitome, synopsis. See Abridgment. See: Abstract. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Abstract

abstersory abstinence-only abstinence symptoms abstinence syndrome abstinence syndromes abstinence theory abstinences abstinency abstinential abstinently

abstinents abstorted abstract (current term) abstract algebra abstract art abstract artist abstract expressionism abstract factory pattern abstract factory patterns abstract harmonic analysis

abstract idea abstract ideas abstract intelligence abstract language

Literary usage of Abstract

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Publications by English Dialect Society (1878)
"Septembers abstract. [Other short remembrances for September. ... Marches abstract [and at the ende therof, the names of the ..."

2. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke (1894)
"The mind, as has been shown, has a power to abstract its ideas, abstract and so ... Now each abstract idea one of being distinct, so that of any two the one ..."

3. The American Journal of Psychology by Granville Stanley Hall, Edward Bradford Titchener (1908)
"Without abstract terms generalization can reach but a low level ; and at its higher ... A step beyond the ordinary comprehension and correct use of abstract ..."

4. A Treatise of Human Nature: Being an Attempt to Introduce the Experimental by David ( Hume (1890)
"Of abstract Ideas. A very material question has been started concerning abstract or general ideas, whether they be general or particular in ..."

5. How We Think by John Dewey (1910)
"Few who read and hear it gain a and abstract clear conception of the starting-point, the concrete; of the nature of the goal, the abstract; and of the exact ..."

6. Notes and Queries by Martim de Albuquerque (1873)
"In all these cases abstract ideas are expressed by pictures addressed to the ... The mere substitution of a concrete or phrase for an abstract one :— IHs ..."

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