English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

1. The act of wandering; deviation, especially from truth or moral rectitude, from the natural state, or from a type.

   • The aberration of youth - Hall
   • Aberrations from theory - Burke

2. A partial alienation of reason.

   • Occasional aberrations of intellect - Lingard
   • Whims, which at first are the aberrations of a single brain, pass with heat into epidemic form - I. Taylor

3. 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.
4. In the context of "optics": 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.
5. A deviation of an organism from the state which is regarded as normal.
6. A mental disorder, especially one of a minor or temporary character.
7. The producing of an unintended effect by the glancing of an instrument, as when a shot intended for A glances and strikes B.
8. In the context of "zoology|botany": atypical development or structure

Derived terms

• spherical aberration

Translations