IDEA


Meaning of IDEA in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ī-ˈdē-ə, -ˈdēə also ]

ˈī-(ˌ)dē-ə or ˈī-dē noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from idein to see — more at wit

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations

b. : a standard of perfection : ideal

c. : a plan for action : design

2. archaic : a visible representation of a conception : a replica of a pattern

3.

a. obsolete : an image recalled by memory

b. : an indefinite or unformed conception

c. : an entity (as a thought, concept, sensation, or image) actually or potentially present to consciousness

4. : a formulated thought or opinion

5. : whatever is known or supposed about something

a child's idea of time

6. : the central meaning or chief end of a particular action or situation

7. Christian Science : an image in Mind

• idea·less -ləs adjective

Synonyms:

idea , concept , conception , thought , notion , impression mean what exists in the mind as a representation (as of something comprehended) or as a formulation (as of a plan). idea may apply to a mental image or formulation of something seen or known or imagined, to a pure abstraction, or to something assumed or vaguely sensed

innovative ideas

my idea of paradise

concept may apply to the idea formed by consideration of instances of a species or genus or, more broadly, to any idea of what a thing ought to be

a society with no concept of private property

conception is often interchangeable with concept ; it may stress the process of imagining or formulating rather than the result

our changing conception of what constitutes art

thought is likely to suggest the result of reflecting, reasoning, or meditating rather than of imagining

commit your thoughts to paper

notion suggests an idea not much resolved by analysis or reflection and may suggest the capricious or accidental

you have the oddest notions

impression applies to an idea or notion resulting immediately from some stimulation of the senses

the first impression is of soaring height

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.