prescind
Definition
- Verb (intransitive):
- To abstract or detach mentally: "prescind" means to consider something in isolation from its context or to separate it in thought from other related matters.
- To disregard or set aside: In philosophical or analytical contexts, "prescind" is used to indicate that one chooses not to consider a particular aspect or factor.
Usage Examples
- Abstract mentally:
- To understand the essence of the concept, we must prescind from its historical associations. (We need to mentally separate the idea from its past connections.)
- Disregard:
- The economist decided to prescind from the effects of inflation in the initial analysis. (The economist chose not to consider inflation at first.)
Advanced Usage
- "to prescind from": The most common collocation; it means to exclude or ignore a specific element in reasoning.
- In ethics, one must prescind from personal bias to achieve impartial judgment. (One must set aside personal prejudice.)
Variants and Related Words
- Prescission (noun): the act of prescinding; mental abstraction or separation.
- The prescission of cause from effect is a useful analytical tool. (The mental separation of cause from effect is helpful.)
Synonyms
- Abstract: to consider something in theory separately from its material or concrete context.
- Isolate: to separate something from its usual context or from other factors.
- Disregard: to pay no attention to; ignore intentionally.
Related Idioms
- To set aside: to disregard or ignore for a specific purpose.
- We will set aside the question of cost for now. (We will prescind from cost temporarily.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Prescind from (always used with "from"): to deliberately exclude or ignore.
- Let us prescind from the minor details and focus on the main argument. (Let us disregard minor details.)