abstraction

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A general idea formed from specific examples, rather than a concrete thing.

   Justice is an abstraction that is hard to define precisely.

2. 2
   noun

   The act of considering something as a general idea apart from its concrete details.

   Mathematics relies on a high level of abstraction.

3. 3
   noun

   In computing, the hiding of complex details behind a simpler interface.

   A file is an abstraction that hides how data is actually stored on the disk.

4. 4
   noun

   A style of art that does not try to represent real objects directly.

   Her later paintings moved from portraits toward pure abstraction.

From Middle English abstraccyone; either from Middle French abstraction or from Medieval Latin abstrāctiō (“separation”), from Latin abstrahō (“draw away”). Equivalent to abstract + -ion.

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