Abstractable

/æbˈstrækətəbəl/ adjective

Definition

Capable of being abstracted; able to be separated mentally or removed from concrete particulars; able to be summarized or extracted.

Etymology

From 'abstract' plus the suffix '-able' (capable of); this word developed in philosophical and linguistic contexts to describe concepts that can be generalized or separated from specific examples.

Kelly Says

In cognitive science, researchers use 'abstractable' to describe ideas that our brains can extract from experience—for example, the concept of 'redness' is abstractable from all the different red objects we see, helping explain how we form general concepts.

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