The act process of leaving out of consideration one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend to others; analysis. Thus, when the mind considers the form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as separate from their size or figure, the act is called abstraction. So, also, when it considers whiteness, softness, virtue, existence, as separate from any particular objects.

A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as, a hermit's abstraction.

Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects.

Changing the interface of an object and exposing it in a more useful form. Abstraction may be done by providing a layer of software which makes an object or collection of objects easier to manage by exposing a different object with a different interface.

An abstraction denotes a class of objects. The process of abstraction builds useful object classifications by organizing physical instances according to their attributes and behaviors.

The theoretical removal of non-significant differences between objects (for example: identity, state¤, scope, etc) in order to classify them according to shared features. See also "classification¤".

The logical structure of an object, which is a dynamic pattern that includes all possible realizations of that object.