abstraction (
http://definr.com/abstraction)
n 1: a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance;
"he loved her only in the abstract--not in person" [syn:
abstract]
2: the act of withdrawing or removing something
3: the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting
common properties of instances [syn:
generalization,
generalisation]
4: an abstract painting
5: preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else
[syn:
abstractedness]
6: a general concept formed by extracting common features from
specific examples