abstrahieren

to abstract; to generalize from particulars

verb ap-strah-HEER-en Rare

Origin: from Latin abstrahere (to draw away)

Usage Note

abstrahieren means to mentally separate general principles from specific instances. Used in philosophy, maths, and science: von den Details abstrahieren (to abstract away from the details). The noun Abstraktion is already in common use.

Examples

"Kinder lernen erst mit der Zeit, von konkreten Beispielen zu abstrahieren."

Natural Translation

Children only learn over time to abstract from concrete examples.

Literal Translation

Children learn only with the time, from concrete examples to abstract.

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