abstract

—abstracter, n. —abstractly, adv. —abstractness, n.

adj. /ab strakt", ab"strakt/; n. /ab"strakt/; v. /ab strakt"/ for 11-14, /ab"strakt/ for 15, adj.

1. thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances: an abstract idea.

2. expressing a quality or characteristic apart from any specific object or instance, as justice, poverty, and speed.

3. theoretical; not applied or practical: abstract science.

4. difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract speculations.

5. Fine Arts.

a. of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another.

b. (often cap.) pertaining to the nonrepresentational art styles of the 20th century.

n.

6. a summary of a text, scientific article, document, speech, etc.; epitome.

7. something that concentrates in itself the essential qualities of anything more extensive or more general, or of several things; essence.

8. an idea or term considered apart from some material basis or object.

9. an abstract work of art.

10. in the abstract, without reference to a specific object or instance; in theory: beauty in the abstract.

v.t.

11. to draw or take away; remove.

12. to divert or draw away the attention of.

13. to steal.

14. to consider as a general quality or characteristic apart from specific objects or instances: to abstract the notions of time, space, and matter.

15. to make an abstract of; summarize.

16. abstract away from, to omit from consideration.

[1400-50; late ME: withdrawn from worldly interests < L abstractus drawn off (ptp. of abstrahere). See ABS-, TRACT¹]

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