aberration n
1. a state or condition markedly different from the norm [syn: aberrance, aberrancy, deviance]
2. a disorder in one's mental state
3. an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image [syn: distortion, optical aberration}]

Aberration \Ab`er*ra"tion\, n. [L. aberratio: cf. F. aberration. See Aberrate.]
1. The act of wandering; deviation, especially from truth or moral rectitude, from the natural state, or from a type. ``The aberration of youth.'' --Hall. ``Aberrations from theory.'' --Burke.
2. A partial alienation of reason. ``Occasional aberrations of intellect.'' --Lingard. Whims, which at first are the aberrations of a single brain, pass with heat into epidemic form. --I. Taylor.
3. (Astron.) A small periodical change of position in the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer; called annual aberration, when the observer's motion is that of the earth in its orbit, and daily or diurnal aberration, when of the earth on its axis; amounting when greatest, in the former case, to 20.4'', and in the latter, to 0.3''. Planetary aberration is that due to the motion of light and the motion of the planet relative to the earth.
4. (Opt.) 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; called spherical aberration, when due to the spherical form of the lens or mirror, such form giving different foci for central and marginal rays; and chromatic aberration}, when due to different refrangibilities of the colored rays of the spectrum, those of each color having a distinct focus.
5. (Physiol.) The passage of blood or other fluid into parts not appropriate for it.
6. (Law) The producing of an unintended effect by the glancing of an instrument, as when a shot intended for A glances and strikes B. Syn: Insanity; lunacy; madness; derangement; alienation; mania; dementia; hallucination; illusion; delusion. See Insanity.

See more meaning on Aberration...

• Aberration: Aberration is something that deviates from the normal way but has several specifically defined meanings: A person who has aberrant behavior ...
• Optical aberration: Aberrations are departures of the performance of an optical system from the predictions of paraxial optics Aberration leads to blurring of ...
• Aberration of light: The aberration of light (also referred to as astronomical aberration or stellar aberration) is an astronomical phenomenon which produces an ...
• Aberration (Dungeons & Dragons): In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , aberration is a type of creature, or "creature type ". Aberrations generally all ...
• Defocus aberration: In optics , defocus the aberration in which an image is simply out of focus . This aberration is familiar to anyone who has used a camera ...
• Aberration (film): Aberration is a 1997 film directed by Tim Boxell. It was set in the United States and shot in New Zealand , and stars Pamela Gidley as a ...
• Chromatic aberration: In optics , chromatic aberration (CA, also called achromatism or chromatic distortion) is a type of distortion in which there is a failure ...

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