concept

[kon-sept] /ˈkɒn sɛpt/
noun
1.
a general notion or idea; conception.
2.
an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.
3.
a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.
verb (used with object)
4.
Informal. to develop a concept of; conceive:
Experts pooled their talents to concept the new car.
Origin
1550-60; < Latin conceptum something conceived, orig. neuter of conceptus (past participle of concipere), equivalent to con- con- + cep- (variant stem of -cipere, combining form of capere to seize) + -tus past participle ending
Can be confused
concept, conception, inception.
Examples from the web for concept
  • Not finding it can be viewed several ways, which should include the idea that our original concept was flawed.
  • Although the concept of tea is simple-dry leaf infused in hot water-the manufacture of it is not intuitive at all.
  • Their formulaic concept amounts to intellectual formaldehyde.
  • She cultivated relationships with music and film celebrities-practically inventing the concept of supermodels.
  • Suddenly, all those issues are trampling all over your artistic concept.
  • Odd as that may sound, it's actually not a crackpot concept.
  • He even seemed to develop an understanding of absence, something akin to the concept of zero.
  • To carry this weight, the concept of morality would have to be bigger than any of us and outside all of us.
  • If the concept seems hopelessly complex, you might start with a simple map of a familiar place.
  • If students have not yet learned about why seasons occur, this would be a good time to introduce them to this concept.
British Dictionary definitions for concept

concept

/ˈkɒnsɛpt/
noun
1.
an idea, esp an abstract idea: the concepts of biology
2.
(philosophy) a general idea or notion that corresponds to some class of entities and that consists of the characteristic or essential features of the class
3.
(philosophy)
  1. the conjunction of all the characteristic features of something
  2. a theoretical construct within some theory
  3. a directly intuited object of thought
  4. the meaning of a predicate
4.
(modifier) (of a product, esp a car) created as an exercise to demonstrate the technical skills and imagination of the designers, and not intended for mass production or sale
Word Origin
C16: from Latin conceptum something received or conceived, from concipere to take in, conceive
Word Origin and History for concept
n.

1550s, from Medieval Latin conceptum "draft, abstract," in classical Latin "(a thing) conceived," from concep-, past participle stem of concipere "to take in" (see conceive). In some 16c. cases a refashioning of conceit (perhaps to avoid negative connotations).

concept in Medicine

concept con·cept (kŏn'sěpt')
n.

  1. An abstract idea or notion.

  2. An explanatory principle in a scientific system. Also called conception.

Encyclopedia Article for concept

in the Analytic school of philosophy, the subject matter of philosophy, which philosophers of the Analytic school hold to be concerned with the salient features of the language in which people speak of concepts at issue. Concepts are thus logical, not mental, entities. A typical instance of the use of concept is in The Concept of Mind (1949) by Gilbert Ryle, an Oxford Analyst, which implies that the purpose of the author is not to investigate matters of fact empirically (i.e., by the methods of psychology) about the mind itself but to investigate its "logical geography." Similarly, investigation of the logical features of discourse about pleasure or duty or remembering is concerned with the concepts of pleasure or duty or memory. To be able to use these linguistic expressions is to apply, or possess, the concepts.

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