abstract

The word “abstract” means a short summary of a longer document, especially an academic paper. In plain terms, either a short summary of a longer piece of writing, or something conceptual and not physically real — as opposed to "concrete.".

“Abstract” is pronounced AB-strakt (/ˈæbˌstɹækt/ in IPA).

Here is “abstract” used in a sentence: “Read the abstract before deciding whether to download the full study.”

Words with a similar meaning to “abstract” include remove, separate, take away and withdraw.

Depending on how it is used, “abstract” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.

The word “abstract” comes from Latin. From Latin abstractus, "drawn away," the past participle of abstraho, formed from abs- ("away") plus traho ("to pull, draw").

“Abstract” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Abstract” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a short summary of a longer document, especially an academic paper.

"Abstract" describes something that exists as an idea rather than a physical, concrete thing, such as freedom or justice. "Concrete" describes something real and tangible that you can perceive with the senses, such as a chair or a rock. Abstract ideas are conceptual, while concrete things are physical.

An "abstract" is a short summary of a longer document, especially an academic paper, and it follows conventions such as stating the aim, method, and findings. A "summary" is any condensed version of a text and can appear anywhere. Every abstract is a kind of summary, but "abstract" is reserved mainly for scholarly writing.

An "abstract" is a brief, standalone summary of an entire paper, including its results and conclusions, and it usually sits before the main text. An "introduction" sets up the topic, background, and aims but does not reveal the findings. The abstract summarises the whole study, while the introduction only opens it.