1. Distillation or separation of the volatile constituents of a substance. 2. Exclusive mental concentration. 3. The making of an abstract from the crude drug. 4. Malocclusion in which the teeth or associated structures are lower than their normal occlusal plane. SEE ALSO: odontoptosis. 5. The process of selecting a certain aspect of a concept from the whole. [L. abs-traho, pp. -tractus, to draw away]
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ab·strac·tion (ab-strakґshən) [L. abstractus, past part. of abstrahere to draw away] 1. the withdrawal of any ingredient from a compound. 2. a condition in which the teeth or other maxillary and mandibular structures are lower than the normal position, away from the occlusal plane, thereby lengthening the face. Cf. attraction (def. 2).Medical dictionary. 2011.