Abstraction \Ab*strac"tion\, n. [Cf. F. abstraction. See
Abstract, a.]
1. The act of abstracting, separating, or withdrawing, or the
state of being withdrawn; withdrawal.
[1913 Webster]
A wrongful abstraction of wealth from certain
members of the community. --J. S. Mill.
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2. (Metaph.) The act process of leaving out of consideration
one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend
to others; analysis. Thus, when the mind considers the
form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as
separate from their size or figure, the act is called
abstraction. So, also, when it considers whiteness,
softness, virtue, existence, as separate from any
particular objects.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Abstraction is necessary to classification, by which
things are arranged in genera and species. We separate
in idea the qualities of certain objects, which are of
the same kind, from others which are different, in
each, and arrange the objects having the same
properties in a class, or collected body.
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Abstraction is no positive act: it is simply the
negative of attention. --Sir W.
Hamilton.
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3. An idea or notion of an abstract, or theoretical nature;
as, to fight for mere abstractions.
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4. A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as, a
hermit's abstraction.
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5. Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present
objects.
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6. The taking surreptitiously for one's own use part of the
property of another; purloining. [Modern]
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7. (Chem.) A separation of volatile parts by the act of
distillation. --Nicholson.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
abstraction
n 1: a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance;
"he loved her only in the abstract--not in person" [syn:
abstract]
2: the act of withdrawing or removing something
3: the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting
common properties of instances [syn: generalization, generalisation]
4: an abstract painting
5: preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else
[syn: abstractedness]
6: a general concept formed by extracting common features from
specific examples
WordNet (r) 2.0
199 Moby Thesaurus words for "abstraction":
Walter Mitty, ablation, abrasion, absence of mind,
absentmindedness, absorption, abstract, abstract idea,
abstractedness, abulia, alienation, altarpiece, analysis,
annexation, anxiety, anxiety equivalent, anxiety state, apathy,
appropriation, bemusement, block print, boosting, bromide,
brown study, castle-building, catatonic stupor, cliche,
close study, collage, color print, commonplace, compulsion,
concentration, contemplativeness, conversion, conveyance, copy,
cyclorama, daub, daydream, daydreamer, daydreaming, deduction,
deep thought, dejection, depression, depth of thought, detachment,
diptych, disarticulation, disassociation, disconnectedness,
disconnection, discontinuity, disengagement, disjointing,
disjunction, dislocation, disunion, division, divorce, divorcement,
doctrinairism, doctrinality, doctrinarity, dream, dreaming,
elation, embezzlement, emotionalism, engraving, engrossment,
erosion, euphoria, explanation, fantasy, fantasying, filching,
fit of abstraction, folie du doute, fraud, fresco, general idea,
generalization, generalized proposition, glittering generality,
graft, hackneyed expression, hypochondria, hysteria, hysterics,
icon, illumination, illustration, image, incoherence, indifference,
insensibility, isolation, lethargy, liberation, lieu commun,
lifting, likeness, locus communis, luxation, mania, melancholia,
melancholy, mental distress, mere theory, miniature, montage,
mooning, moonraking, mosaic, mural, muse, musefulness, musing,
muted ecstasy, obsession, panorama, parting, partition,
pathological indecisiveness, pensiveness, photograph, picture,
pilferage, pilfering, pinching, pipe dream, pipe-dreaming,
platitude, poaching, preoccupation, print, profound thought,
psychalgia, psychomotor disturbance, purification, refinement,
reflectiveness, removal, representation, reproduction, reverie,
scrounging, segmentation, separation, separatism, shoplifting,
snatching, sneak thievery, snitching, speculation, speculativeness,
stained glass window, stargazing, stealage, stealing, stencil,
still life, study, stupor, subdivision, subduction, sublation,
subtraction, sweeping statement, swindle, swiping, tableau,
taking away, tapestry, theft, theoretic, theoretical basis,
theoretics, theoria, theoric, theorization, theory, thievery,
thieving, thoughtfulness, tic, tired cliche, trance, triptych,
truism, twitching, unresponsiveness, wall painting, wistfulness,
withdrawal, woolgathering, zoning
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
abstraction
1. Generalisation; ignoring or hiding details to capture some
kind of commonality between different instances. Examples are
abstract data types (the representation details are hidden),
abstract syntax (the details of the concrete syntax are
ignored), abstract interpretation (details are ignored to
analyse specific properties).
2. Parameterisation, making something a function
of something else. Examples are lambda abstractions (making
a term into a function of some variable), higher-order
functions (parameters are functions), bracket abstraction
(making a term into a function of a variable).
Opposite of concretisation.
(1998-06-04)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
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