Abstract

Part of speech: adjective, noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈæbˌstɹækt/

Definitions

1. Existing as an idea or concept rather than a concrete physical form
2. Characterized by notions or ideas that are not presented in a tangible or concrete manner
3. Existing as a concept rather than a physical object; a brief summary outlining main ideas of a larger work

Etymology: The Latin verb "abstrahere" meant "to draw away", built from "abs" ("away") and "trahere" ("to pull"). Its past participle "abstractus" gave English the adjective "abstract", which at first described something drawn away from physical matter: an idea separated from any particular object. The sense of a condensed version of a larger work came later, when a shortened form of a text was, in effect, a version of it pulled away from its full bulk. The verb arrived in English in the 1500s, around 1542, and it kept the literal flavour of its Latin source. To abstract something was to take it out or remove it, whether a substance from a mixture or a quantity from a total. The mental sense of pulling a general quality out of particular examples grew from that same physical picture of drawing something away from its surroundings.

Synonyms: theoretical, conceptual, intangible, philosophical, metaphysical

Antonyms: concrete, literal, real, tangible, material