Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

idea

 - 8 dictionary results
Have an Idea? Free Info
We have been providing Inventor Services for more than 20 years.
www.InventHelp.com
Corporate Creativity
Training to Think Outside the Box for Fresh Ideas and Innovation.
www.synchlora.com
New Idea? - Start Here
We Help You Design, Develop, & Present Your Idea to Corporations.
Davison.com

i⋅de⋅a

  [ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh]
–noun
1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
2. a thought, conception, or notion: That is an excellent idea.
3. an impression: He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department.
4. an opinion, view, or belief: His ideas on raising children are certainly strange.
5. a plan of action; an intention: the idea of becoming an engineer.
6. a groundless supposition; fantasy.
7. Philosophy.
a. a concept developed by the mind.
b. a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; ideal.
c. (initial capital letter) Platonism. Also called form. an archetype or pattern of which the individual objects in any natural class are imperfect copies and from which they derive their being.
d. Kantianism. idea of pure reason.
8. Music. a theme, phrase, or figure.
9. Obsolete.
a. a likeness.
b. a mental image.
Use idea in a Sentence
Origin:
1400–50; < LL < Gk idéā form, pattern, equiv. to ide- (s. of ideîn to see) + -ā fem. n. ending; r. late ME idee < MF < LL, as above; akin to wit 1

Related forms:
i⋅de⋅a⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
1, 2. Idea, thought, conception, notion refer to a product of mental activity. Idea, although it may refer to thoughts of any degree of seriousness or triviality, is commonly used for mental concepts considered more important or elaborate: We pondered the idea of the fourth dimension. The idea of his arrival frightened me. Thought, which reflects its primary emphasis on the mental process, may denote any concept except the more weighty and elaborate ones: I welcomed his thoughts on the subject. A thought came to him. Conception suggests a thought that seems complete, individual, recent, or somewhat intricate: The architect's conception delighted them. Notion suggests a fleeting, vague, or imperfect thought: a bare notion of how to proceed. 4. sentiment, judgment.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To idea
Have an Idea? Free Info
We have been providing Inventor Services for more than 20 years.
www.InventHelp.com
Corporate Creativity
Training to Think Outside the Box for Fresh Ideas and Innovation.
www.synchlora.com
i·de·a   (ī-dē'ə)   
n.  

  1. Something, such as a thought or conception, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity.

  2. An opinion, conviction, or principle: has some strange political ideas.

  3. A plan, scheme, or method.

  4. The gist of a specific situation; significance: The idea is to finish the project under budget.

  5. A notion; a fancy.

  6. Music A theme or motif.

  7. Philosophy

    1. In the philosophy of Plato, an archetype of which a corresponding being in phenomenal reality is an imperfect replica.

    2. In the philosophy of Kant, a concept of reason that is transcendent but nonempirical.

    3. In the philosophy of Hegel, absolute truth; the complete and ultimate product of reason.

  8. Obsolete A mental image of something remembered.


[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]
i·de'a·less adj.
Synonyms: These nouns refer to what is formed or represented in the mind as the product of mental activity. Idea has the widest range: "Human history is in essence a history of ideas" (H.G. Wells).
Thought is distinctively intellectual and stresses contemplation and reasoning: "Language is the dress of thought" (Samuel Johnson).
Notion often refers to a vague, general, or even fanciful idea: "She certainly has some notion of drawing" (Rudyard Kipling).
Concept and conception are applied to mental formulations on a broad scale: You seem to have absolutely no concept of time. "Every succeeding scientific discovery makes greater nonsense of old-time conceptions of sovereignty" (Anthony Eden).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

idea 
1430, "figure, image, symbol," from L. idea "idea," and in Platonic philosophy "archetype," from Gk. idea "ideal prototype," lit. "look, form," from idein "to see," from PIE *wid-es-ya-, suffixed form of base *weid- "to see" (see vision). Sense of "result of thinking" first recorded 1645.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: idea
Pronunciation: I-'dE-&, 'Id-(")E-&
Function: noun
1 : an entity (as a thought, concept, sensation, or image) actually orpotentially present to consciousness
2 : a formulated thought or opinion
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

idea i·de·a (ī-dē'ə)
n.
Something, such as a thought or conception, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity.

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

IDEA
1. Interactive Data Entry/Access.
2. International Data Encryption Algorithm.
(1996-02-16)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

idea

see bright idea; put ideas in someone's head; what's the idea.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Abbreviations & Acronyms
IDEA

  1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

  2. International Data Encryption Algorithm

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see idea on Thesaurus | Reference
New Idea? - Start Here
We Help You Design, Develop, & Present Your Idea to Corporations.
Davison.com
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
ExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyThe Daily BeastUrbanspoonAsk AnswersBloglinesSendori