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reify

 
Dictionary: re·i·fy   ('ə-fī', rā'-) pronunciation
tr.v., -fied, -fy·ing, -fies.
To regard or treat (an abstraction) as if it had concrete or material existence.

[Latin rēs, rē-, thing + -FY.]

reification re'i·fi·ca'tion (-fĭ-kā'shən) n.
reifier re'i·fi'er n.

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The interpretation of an abstract idea or concept, such as the state, as real or concrete.

Obscure Words: reify
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to regard (something abstract) as a material thing
WordNet: reify
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has one meaning:

Meaning #1: consider an abstract concept to be real


Wikipedia: Reification
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Reification may refer to:

  • Reification (computer science), making a data model for a previously abstract concept
  • Reification (fallacy), fallacy of treating an abstraction as if it were a real thing
  • Reification in Gestalt psychology, where an object is perceived as having more spatial information than is actually present in the original stimulus
  • Reification (knowledge representation), used to represent facts that must then be manipulated in some way
  • Reification (linguistics) in natural language processing, where a natural language statement is transformed so actions and events in it become quantifiable variables
  • Reification (Marxism) (German: Verdinglichung), the consideration of an abstraction or an object as if it had living existence and abilities; at the same time it implies the thingification of social relations; sometimes called objectification
  • Reification (statistics), the consideration of a `perfect' model which is used to make inferences connecting (imperfect) model results with experimental observations

See also


 
 
Learn More
process-product ambiguity (philosophy)
real (philosophy)
reification (philosophy)

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Reification" Read more