Word: abstraction Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English abstraccyone; either from Middle French abstraction or from Medieval Latin abstrāctiō (“separation”), from Latin abstrahō (“draw away”). Equivalent to abstract + -ion. Pronunciation: /əbˈstɹæk.ʃn̩/, /æbˈstɹæk.ʃn̩/ 1. The act of abstracting, separating, withdrawing, or taking away; withdrawal; the state of being taken away. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The cancelling of the debt would be no destruction of wealth, but a transfer of it: a wrongful abstraction of wealth from certain members of the community, for the profit of the government, or of the tax-payers. 2. The act of abstracting, separating, withdrawing, or taking away; withdrawal; the state of being taken away. Labels: countable, euphemistic, uncountable 3. The act of abstracting, separating, withdrawing, or taking away; withdrawal; the state of being taken away. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; the withdrawal from one's senses. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: a hermit’s abstraction 5. The act of focusing on one characteristic of an object rather than the object as a whole group of characteristics; the act of separating said qualities from the object or ideas. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Holonym: induction Example: Abstraction is no positive act: it is simply the negative of attention. 6. Any characteristic of an individual object when that characteristic has been separated from the object and is contemplated alone as a quality having independent existence. Labels: countable, uncountable 7. A member of an idealized subgroup when contemplated according to the abstracted quality which defines the subgroup. Labels: countable, uncountable 8. The act of comparing commonality between distinct objects and organizing using those similarities; the act of generalizing characteristics; the product of said generalization. Labels: countable, uncountable 9. An idea or notion of an abstract or theoretical nature. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: to fight for mere abstractions 10. Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects; preoccupation. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: "One penny, sir!" He was roused at once from his abstraction; for it was a question to himself whether he had even that in his pocket. Sixpence was, however, discovered; he paid the toll, and passed on. 11. An abstract creation, or piece of art; qualities of artwork that are free from representational aspects. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: At one point, her spidery abstractions gave way to a series of abruptly syncopated hits, like a deranged allusion to the Thelonious Monk tune “Evidence.” 12. A separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation. Labels: countable, uncountable 13. An idea of an idealistic, unrealistic or visionary nature. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. The result of mentally abstracting an idea; the product of any mental process involving a synthesis of: separation, despecification, generalization, and ideation in any of a number of combinations. Labels: countable, uncountable 15. The merging of two river valleys by the larger of the two deepening and widening so much so, as to assimilate the smaller. Labels: countable, uncountable 16. Hiding implementation details from the interface of a component, to decrease complexity through interdependency and improve modularity; a construct that serves as such. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Files are an abstraction provided by the file system for storing data, so that applications do not have to care how that data is stored.