aberration
Pronunciation: /ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/
The English word “aberration” has 10 meanings listed here.
noun
- The act of wandering; deviation from truth, moral rectitude; abnormal; divergence from the straight, correct, proper, normal, or from the natural state.
- The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; a defect in a focusing mechanism that prevents the intended focal point.
- A small periodical change of the apparent positions of the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer.
- The tendency of light rays to preferentially strike the leading face of a moving object (the effect underlying the above phenomenon).
- A partial alienation of reason.
- Any creature with supernatural powers not found in the organized classes of beings in a given setting.
- A mental disorder, especially one of a minor or temporary character.
- Atypical development or structure; deviation from the normal type; an aberrant organ.
- A deviation of a tissue, organ or mental functions from what is considered to be within the normal range.
- A defect in an image produced by an optical or electrostatic lens system.
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Latin aberrātiō(n) (“relief, diversion”), first attested in 1594, from aberrō (“wander away, go astray”), from ab (“away”) + errō (“wander”). Compare French aberration. By surface analysis, aberrat(e) + -ion.
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More English words
- aberrated
- aberratic
- aberratio lactis
- aberratio testis
- aberration of light
- aberrational
- aberrationality
- aberrationally
About this dictionary
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.