Adjacent Words

Abstract definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ABSTRACT', v.t. [L. abstraho, to draw from or separate; from abs and traho, which is the Eng. draw. See Draw.]
1. To draw from, or to separate; as to abstract an action from its evil effects; to abstract spirit from any substance by distillation; but in this sense extract is now more generally used.
2. To separate ideas by the operation of the mind; to consider one part of a complex object, or to have a partial idea of it in the mind.
3. To select or separate the substance of a book or writing; to epitomize or reduce to a summary.
4. In chimistry, to separate, as the more volatile parts of a substance by repeated distillation, or at least by distillation.
AB'STRACT, a. [L. abstractus.]
1. separate; distinct from something else. An abstract idea, in metaphysics, is an idea separated from a complex object, or from other ideas which naturally accompany it, as the solidity of marble contemplated apart from its color or figure.
Abstract terms are those which express abstract ideas, as beauty, whiteness, roundness, without regarding any subject 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 are numbers used without application to things, as, 6, 8,
10: but when applied to anything, as 6 feet, 10 men, they become concrete.
Abstract or pure mathematics, is that which treats of magnitude or quantity, without restriction to any species of particular magnitude, as arithmetic and geometry; opposed to
which is mixed mathematics, which treats of simple properties,
and the relations of quantity, as applied to sensible objects, as hydrostatics, navigation, optics, etc.
2. Separate, existing in the mind only; as an abstract subject; an abstract question: and hence difficult, abstruse.
AB'STRACT, n.
1. A summary, or epitome, containing the substance, a general view, or the principal heads of a treatise or writing.
2. Formerly, an extract, or a smaller quantity, containing the essence of a larger.
In the abstract, in a state of separation, as a subject considered in the abstract, i. e. without reference to particular persons or things.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment; "abstract words like `truth' and `justice'" [ant: concrete]
2: not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature; "a large abstract painting" [syn: abstract, abstractionist, nonfigurative, nonobjective]
3: dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention; "abstract reasoning"; "abstract science" n
1: a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person" [syn: abstraction, abstract]
2: a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory [syn: outline, synopsis, abstract, precis] v
1: consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
2: make off with belongings of others [syn: pilfer, cabbage, purloin, pinch, abstract, snarf, swipe, hook, sneak, filch, nobble, lift]
3: consider apart from a particular case or instance; "Let's abstract away from this particular example"
4: give an abstract (of)

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Medieval Latin abstractus, from Latin, past participle of abstrahere to drag away, from abs-, ab- + trahere to pull, draw Date: 14th century 1. a. disassociated from any specific instance <an abstract entity> b. difficult to understand ; abstruse <abstract problems> c. insufficiently factual ; formal <possessed only an abstract right> 2. expressing a quality apart from an object <the word poem is concrete, poetry is abstract> 3. a. dealing with a subject in its abstract aspects ; theoretical <abstract science> b. impersonal, detached <the abstract compassion of a surgeon — Time> 4. having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content <abstract painting> • abstractly adverb • abstractness noun II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin abstractus Date: 15th century 1. a summary of points (as of a writing) usually presented in skeletal form; also something that summarizes or concentrates the essentials of a larger thing or several things 2. an abstract thing or state 3. abstraction 4a III. Date: 1542 transitive verb 1. remove, separate 2. to consider apart from application to or association with a particular instance 3. to make an abstract of ; summarize 4. to draw away the attention of 5. steal, purloin intransitive verb to make an abstraction • abstractable adjective • abstractor or abstracter noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., v., & n. --adj. 1 a to do with or existing in thought rather than matter, or in theory rather than practice; not tangible or concrete (abstract questions rarely concerned him). b (of a word, esp. a noun) denoting a quality or condition or intangible thing rather than a concrete object. 2 (of art) achieving its effect by grouping shapes and colours in satisfying patterns rather than by the recognizable representation of physical reality. --v. 1 tr. (often foll. by from) take out of; extract; remove. 2 a tr. summarize (an article, book, etc.). b intr. do this as an occupation. 3 tr. & refl. (often foll. by from) disengage (a person's attention etc.); distract. 4 tr. (foll. by from) consider abstractly or separately from something else. 5 tr. euphem. steal. --n. 1 a summary or statement of the contents of a book etc. 2 an abstract work of art. 3 an abstraction or abstract term. Phrases and idioms: abstract expressionism a development of abstract art which aims at a subjective emotional expression of an ideal rather than a picture of a physical object. in the abstract in theory rather than in practice. Derivatives: abstractly adv. abstractor n. (in sense 2 of v.). Etymology: ME f. OF abstract or L abstractus past part. of abstrahere (as AB-, trahere draw)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abstract Ab"stract` (#; 277), a. [L. abstractus, p. p. of abstrahere to draw from, separate; ab, abs + trahere to draw. See Trace.] 1. Withdraw; separate. [Obs.] The more abstract . . . we are from the body. --Norris. 2. Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult. 3. (Logic) (a) 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. --J. S. Mill. (b) Resulting from the mental faculty of abstraction; general as opposed to particular; as, ``reptile'' is an abstract or general name. --Locke. 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 generalization, 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.'' --Milton. An abstract idea (Metaph.), 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 color 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 (Math.), 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abstract Ab"stract` (#; 277), a. [L. abstractus, p. p. of abstrahere to draw from, separate; ab, abs + trahere to draw. See Trace.] 1. Withdraw; separate. [Obs.] The more abstract . . . we are from the body. --Norris. 2. Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult. 3. (Logic) (a) 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. --J. S. Mill. (b) Resulting from the mental faculty of abstraction; general as opposed to particular; as, ``reptile'' is an abstract or general name. --Locke. 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 generalization, 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.'' --Milton. An abstract idea (Metaph.), 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 color 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 (Math.), 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abstract Ab*stract", v. t. To perform the process of abstraction. [R.] I own myself able to abstract in one sense. --Berkeley.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abstract Ab"stract`, n. [See Abstract, a.] 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. (Med.) 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 (Law), an epitome of the evidences of ownership. Syn: Abridgment; compendium; epitome; synopsis. See Abridgment.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Abstract Ab*stract", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abstracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Abstracting.] [See Abstract, a.] 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. --Whately. 4. To epitomize; to abridge. --Franklin. 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. (Chem.) 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(abstracts) 1. An abstract idea or way of thinking is based on general ideas rather than on real things and events. ...abstract principles such as justice... It's not a question of some abstract concept. = theoretical ADJ • abstractly It is hard to think abstractly in these conditions. ADV 2. When you talk or think about something in the abstract, you talk or think about it in a general way, rather than considering particular things or events. Money was a commodity she never thought about except in the abstract. PHRASE: PHR with cl/group 3. In grammar, an abstract noun refers to a quality or idea rather than to a physical object. ...abstract words such as glory, honor, and courage. ? concrete ADJ: ADJ n 4. Abstract art makes use of shapes and patterns rather than showing people or things. ...a modern abstract painting. ? figurative ADJ: usu ADJ n 5. An abstract is an abstract work of art. N-COUNT 6. An abstract of an article, document, or speech is a short piece of writing that gives the main points of it. = summary N-COUNT: oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Separate, disunite, disjoin, dissociate, isolate, detach, disengage, take out of context, take out of its proper whole, view partially, view one-sidedly, regard without reference to relations, consider in bare thought, think without the definiteness of sense-perception, think vaguely. 2. Take, seize, appropriate, steal, purloin. 3. Abridge, abbreviate, epitomize, make an abstract of, outline, make synopsis of. II. a. 1. Separate, isolated, not concrete, out of context, unrelated, simple, by itself, per se. 2. Occult, recondite, subtile, refined, abstracted, vague. See abstruse. III. n. Abridgment, epitome, summary, conspectus, compend, compendium, synopsis, syllabus, outline, digest, brief, breviary, sum and substance, concise statement, gist, drift, general contents.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, abbreviate, abbreviation, abbreviature, abrade, abrege, abridge, abridgment, abstract idea, abstraction, abstruse, academic, altarpiece, and, annex, apocope, appropriate, arcane, armchair, bag, bate, bland, block print, bob, boil down, boost, borrow, breviary, brief, broad, capsule, capsulize, cast off, cast out, chuck, clear, clear away, clear out, clear the decks, clip, collage, collective, color print, colorless, compend, compress, compression, conceptual, condensation, condense, condensed version, conjectural, conspectus, contract, cop, copy, crib, crop, curtail, curtailment, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off short, cut out, cut short, cyclorama, daub, decrease, deduct, deep, defraud, deport, depreciate, derogate, detached, detract, digest, diminish, diptych, disconnect, disengage, disinterested, disparage, dispassionate, dispose of, dissociate, divide, dock, draft, drain, eat away, eject, elide, eliminate, elision, ellipsis, embezzle, engraving, epitome, epitomize, eradicate, erode, esoteric, essence, exile, expatriate, expel, extort, extract, featureless, filch, file away, foreshorten, foreshortening, fresco, general, generalized, generic, get quit of, get rid of, get shut of, head, hidden, hook, hypothetic, hypothetical, icon, ideal, ideational, illumination, illustration, image, impair, impersonal, impractical, indefinite, indeterminate, intellectual, leach, lessen, lift, likeness, liquidate, make off with, metaphysical, miniature, montage, moot, mosaic, mow, mural, nebulous, neutral, nip, nonspecific, notional, occult, outlaw, outline, overview, palm, pandect, panorama, part, photograph, pick out, picture, pilfer, pinch, poach, poker-faced, poll, pollard, postulatory, precis, print, profound, prune, purge, purify, purloin, reap, recap, recapitulate, recapitulation, recondite, reduce, reduction, refine, remove, representation, reproduction, resume, retrench, retrenchment, review, root out, root up, rub away, rubric, run away with, rustle, scrounge, secret, separate, shave, shear, shoplift, shorten, shortened version, shortening, skeleton, sketch, snare, snatch, snitch, snub, speculative, stained glass window, steal, stencil, still life, strike off, strike out, stunt, subduct, subtract, sum up, summarize, summary, summation, survey, swindle, swipe, syllabus, symbolic, syncope, synopsis, synopsize, tableau, take, take away, take from, take in, tapestry, telescope, telescoping, theoretical, thieve, thin, thin out, throw over, throw overboard, thumbnail sketch, topical outline, transcendent, transcendental, trim, triptych, truncate, truncation, unapplied, uncharacterized, uncouple, undemonstrable, undifferentiated, unpractical, unspecified, utopian, vague, visionary, walk off with, wall painting, wear away, weed, weed out, wide, withdraw