aberration

/æ'be'reiʃn/

Thân thiện

A scientist adjusts the telescope to correct the optical aberration.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected: An aberration is something that deviates from the standard, norm, or typical pattern.
   • A lapse in mental focus or judgment; a temporary period of irrationality: In psychology, it refers to a minor or temporary disorder in one's mental state.
   • An optical defect in a lens or mirror causing image distortion: In physics and optics, it is a flaw that prevents a lens or mirror from producing a perfect, sharp image.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Deviation from the norm):
  • The warm weather in January was an aberration from the usual cold.
  • His rude comment was an aberration; he is normally very polite.
• Noun (Mental lapse):
  • In a moment of aberration, she forgot her own phone number.
• Noun (Optical defect):
  • The telescope's lens had a slight aberration, causing stars to look slightly blurred.

Advanced Usage

• "Chromatic aberration": A specific optical defect where a lens fails to focus all colors to the same point, resulting in colored fringes around images.
  • High-quality camera lenses are designed to minimize chromatic aberration.
• "Spherical aberration": An optical defect occurring when light rays striking the edges of a lens focus at a different point than rays striking the center.
  • The mirror's spherical aberration was corrected with a special shape.

Variants and Related Words

• Aberrational (adj): Relating to or characterized by aberration.
  • The aberrational data point was excluded from the final analysis.
• Aberrate (verb, rare): To deviate from the normal or expected course.
  • (Rarely used in common speech; "deviate" is preferred).

Synonyms

• Anomaly: Something that deviates from what is standard or expected.
• Deviation: The action of departing from an established course or standard.
• Irregularity: The state or quality of being irregular or uneven.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "A temporary aberration": A phrase used to describe a one-time mistake or unusual event that is not expected to be repeated.
  • The company's loss last quarter was just a temporary aberration; profits are expected to return.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image
2. a disorder in one's mental state
3. a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Từ đồng nghĩa

• distortion
• optical aberration
• aberrance
• aberrancy
• deviance