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May 21, 2012
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Dictionary


ab•strac•tion



Pronunciation: (ab-strak'shun), [key]
—n.
1. an abstract or general idea or term.
2. the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.
3. an impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.
4. the act of taking away or separating; withdrawal: The sensation of cold is due to the abstraction of heat from our bodies.
5. secret removal, esp. theft.
6. absent-mindedness; inattention; mental absorption.
7. Fine Arts.
a. the abstract qualities or characteristics of a work of art.
b. a work of art, esp. a nonrepresentational one, stressing formal relationships.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

abstracting serviceabstractionism
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