abstraction

noun

1. 1

   a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples

2. 2

   the act of withdrawing or removing something

3. 3

   an abstract painting

4. 4

   preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else

5. 5

   the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances

6. 6

   a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance

   he loved her only in the abstract--not in person