abstrahere

Abstrahere is a Latin verb of the third conjugation meaning to draw away, detach, withdraw, or abstract. It is formed from the prefix ab- meaning away and the verb trahere, “to draw.” The standard principal parts are abstraho, abstrahere, abstraxi, abstractum, and the present infinitive is abstrahere. It is used both transitively and, in some senses, with phrases that indicate removal or withdrawal from something, including figurative senses such as withdrawing attention or mind from a topic.

In classical Latin usage, abstrahere can denote physically pulling something away or drawing it aside, and it can also describe removing oneself from a situation or from an obligation. In philosophical and theological Latin, abstrahere came to be used more broadly to denote cognitive or methodological abstraction—pulling out or separating a general concept from particular instances. The sense of “drawing away” or “taking away” underlies many of its figurative applications, including attention, action, or consideration.

Etymology and influence: abstrahere contributes to the family of words in English such as abstract and abstraction, which entered English via Medieval Latin abstractus and Old French abstraction. These terms retain the core sense of “pulling away” a feature or form from what is concrete, enabling understandings of removal, separation, or generalization in modern usage.

See also: Latin grammar and morphology of third-conjugation verbs; abstraction in philosophy; Latin influence on English vocabulary.