Aberration
WordNet
noun
(1) An optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image
(2) A disorder in one's mental state
(3) A state or condition markedly different from the norm
WiktionaryText
Etymology
Coined between 1585 and 1595 from . Compare French . See aberrate.
Noun
- The act of wandering; deviation, especially from truth or moral rectitude, from the natural state, or from a type.
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- The aberration of youth
- Aberrations from theory
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- A partial alienation of reason.
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- Occasional aberrations of intellect - Lingard
- Whims, which at first are the aberrations of a single brain, pass with heat into epidemic form - I. Taylor
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- A small periodical change of position in the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer.
- 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 deviation of an organism from the state which is regarded as normal.
- A mental disorder, especially one of a minor or temporary character.
- The producing of an unintended effect by the glancing of an instrument, as when a shot intended for A glances and strikes B.
- atypical development or structure