abstraction — the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events or concrete objects
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events or concrete objects
Pronunciation (IPA): /æbˈstrækʃən/
Example Sentences
- My professor's lecture was so full of abstraction that I felt like I was floating in a cloud of pure confusion.
- The artist's work moved from realistic portraits to complete abstraction over the years.
- Programming requires the ability to think in abstraction, turning real-world problems into code.
abstraction
NOUN[/æbˈstrækʃən/]
the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events or concrete objects
The master artist looked at the chaotic junkyard, but his painting was a pure, geometric abstraction.
ABS(away) + TRACT(pull) — an abstraction is simply pulling away the messy details to leave only the core idea. (ABS(away) + TRACT(pull) + ION(noun))
Ignoring the noisy distraction, he finished the data extraction and turned it into a clear abstraction.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Abstraction derives from Latin abstractus, the past participle of abstrahere, meaning 'to draw away' or 'to separate.' The term originally described the process of extracting or removing something from a complex whole, eventually evolving to denote the intellectual process of forming general concepts from particular instances.
Breakdown
ab- (away from) + trahere (to draw, pull) + -tion (noun-forming suffix indicating action or result). The prefix and root combine to express the literal action of drawing away, while the suffix transforms it into a noun denoting the process or outcome of that action.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My professor's lecture was so full of abstraction that I felt like I was floating in a cloud of pure confusion.”
“The artist's work moved from realistic portraits to complete abstraction over the years.”
“Programming requires the ability to think in abstraction, turning real-world problems into code.”
“His explanation was such a level of abstraction that even Einstein would have scratched his head.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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