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aberration

 - 5 dictionary results

ab⋅er⋅ra⋅tion

  [ab-uh-rey-shuhn]
Use aberration in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
2. the act of deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type.
3. deviation from truth or moral rectitude.
4. mental irregularity or disorder, esp. of a minor or temporary nature; lapse from a sound mental state.
5. Astronomy. apparent displacement of a heavenly body, owing to the motion of the earth in its orbit.
6. Optics. any disturbance of the rays of a pencil of light such that they can no longer be brought to a sharp focus or form a clear image.
7. Photography. a defect in a camera lens or lens system, due to flaws in design, material, or construction, that can distort the image.
Origin:
1585–95; < L aberrātiōn- (s. of aberrātiō), equiv. to aberrāt(us), ptp. of aberrāre (see aberrant ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
ab⋅er⋅ra⋅tion⋅al, adjective

Synonyms:
1. wandering; deviation, divergence. 4. abnormality, eccentricity, illusion, delusion, hallucination.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ab·er·ra·tion   (āb'ə-rā'shən)   


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n.  

  1. A deviation from the proper or expected course. See Synonyms at deviation.

  2. A departure from the normal or typical: events that were aberrations from the norm.

  3. Psychology A disorder or abnormal alteration in one's mental state.

    1. A defect of focus, such as blurring in an image.

    2. An imperfect image caused by a physical defect in an optical element, as in a lens.

  5. The apparent displacement of the position of a celestial body in the direction of motion of an observer on Earth, caused by the motion of Earth and the finite velocity of light.

  6. Genetics A deviation in the normal structure or number of chromosomes in an organism.


[Latin aberrātiō, aberrātiōn-, diversion, from aberrātus, past participle of aberrāre, to go astray : ab-, away from; see ab-1 + errāre, to stray; see ers- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

aberration 
1594, "a wandering, straying," from L. aberrationem, from aberrare "go astray," from ab- "away" + errare "to wander" (see err). Meaning "deviation from the normal type" first attested 1846.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ab·er·ra·tion
Pronunciation: "ab-&-'rA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : failure of a mirror, refracting surface, orlens to produce exact point-to-point correspondence between an object and its image
2 : unsoundness or disorder of the mind
3 : an aberrant organ or individual —ab·er·ra·tion·al /-shn&l, -sh&n-&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

aberration ab·er·ra·tion (āb'ə-rā'shən)
n.

  1. A departure from the normal or typical.

  2. A psychological disorder or abnormal alteration in one's mental state.

  3. A defect of focus, such as blurring in an image.

  4. An imperfect image caused by a physical defect in an optical element, as in a lens.

  5. A deviation in the normal genetic structure or number of chromosomes in an organism.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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