Reification

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/

Definitions

1. The process of perceiving or representing an abstract idea as if it were a real, physical object
2. Turning intangible concepts into tangible things in thought or discussion
3. The act of concretizing something abstract by imagining it as a distinct, real entity

Etymology: The noun "reification" is a hybrid built from two languages at once. Its first recorded appearance dates to around 1846, and it was a calque, meaning a word-for-word translation, of the German "Verdinglichung," which describes turning something into a thing. English took the German idea but rebuilt the parts with Latin pieces: the Latin "res," meaning "thing," stands in for the German "Ding," which also means "thing." The ending "-ification," meaning "making," comes from Latin as well, so the whole word reads roughly as "thing-making." The result is a term that is literally about making things out of ideas. The Latin-based parts were chosen to match the German meaning, not because the concept existed in Latin. The word is a modern coinage, and its shape reflects the scholarly German tradition that gave it its meaning.

Synonyms: objectification, materialization

Antonyms: abstraction