Added 30 September 2026
aberration
/ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/ noun
Latin root: aberrātiō First recorded: 1594 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about aberration at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The act of wandering; deviation from truth, moral rectitude; abnormal; divergence from the straight, correct, proper, normal, or from the natural state. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
the aberration of youth
- The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; a defect in a focusing mechanism that prevents the intended focal point.
- A small periodical change of the apparent positions of the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer. The tendency of light rays to preferentially strike the leading face of a moving object (the effect underlying the above phenomenon).
Origin
A learned borrowing from Latin aberrātiō(n) (“relief, diversion”), first attested in 1594, from aberrō (“wander away, go astray”), from ab (“away”) + errō (“wander”). Compare French aberration. By surface analysis, aberrat(e) + -ion.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)