Is the word education an abstract noun?

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

Yes, the noun 'education' is an abstract noun, a word for a concept; something that has no physical form.

An abstract noun is a word that can't be experienced by any of the five physical sense; something that can't be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. An abstract noun is a word for something that is known, learned, thought, understood, or felt emotionally.

"Education" is a nice example of why "abstract" and "concrete" are not very useful concepts in grammar. Education is derived from the verb "educate," and so, is "abstract(ed)." "Building" is a noun derived from the verb "build." Does that mean the Taj Mahal is abstract?

If the criterion is not derivation, but substance, we have a bigger problem. Does "concrete" have to imply mass? That would eliminate "concept"...fine. What about "sound" and "sight?" Modern physics has a hard time determining the applications of such terms as matter and energy. For grammarians to invoke "abstract/concrete" as a categorical differential, they should first demonstrate some predictive value in the terms, such that, in a given syntactical environment, an abstract and a concrete noun - or the other words around them - would behave in systematically different ways. I am not aware of that ever having been demonstrated.

We have so far two answers, illustrating polar opposite positions. The top paragraph, appearing subsequent to the second (mine), lays out the traditional understanding of the category "concrete/abstract." To me, it is also indicative of why the term "philology" has somewhat fallen into disuse: It was too cosily positioned beside "philosophy," and was not enthusiastic about submitting itself to the discipline of evidence. So, I ask again: How, in a sentence, do "education" and "icecream" behave and interact in categorically different ways, excluding the purely lexical specificity of each word? In the top paragraph, "is" is the verb of the principal clause defining an abstract noun. Grammar would better concern itself with what a word does.

Answer 3

Yes, the noun 'education' is an abstract noun, a word for a concept; something that has no physical form.

An abstract noun is a word that can't be experienced by any of the five physical sense; something that can't be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. An abstract noun is a word for something that is known, learned, thought, understood, or felt emotionally.

Answer 4

Yes, the word 'knowledge' is an abstract noun; a word for a concept; a word for a something known, learned, or understood.