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Webster's New World College Dictionary » aberration
aberration
aberration definition
ab·er·ra·tion (ab′ər ā′s̸hən)
noun
- a departure from what is right, true, correct, etc.
- a deviation from the normal or the typical
- mental derangement or lapse
- Astron. a small, periodic apparent change in the observed position of a celestial object, caused by the constantly changing position of the earth and the finite speed of the object's light
- Optics
- the failure of light rays from one point to converge at a single focus
- a fault in a lens or mirror causing such failure
Etymology: L abberatio < aberrare: see aberrant
Related Forms:
- aberrational ab′·er·ra′·tional adjective
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