I. ˈäb-jikt, -(ˌ)jekt noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin objectum, from Latin, neuter of objectus, past participle of obicere to throw in the way, present, hinder, from ob- in the way + jacere to throw — more at ob- , jet
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : something material that may be perceived by the senses
I see an object in the distance
b. : something that when viewed stirs a particular emotion (as pity)
look to the tragic loading of this bed…the object poisons sight; let it be hid — Shakespeare
2.
a. : something mental or physical toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed
an object for study
the object of my affection
delicately carved art object s
b. : something physical that is perceived by an individual and becomes an agent for psychological identification
the mother is the primary object of the child
3.
a. : the goal or end of an effort or activity : purpose , objective
their object is to investigate the matter thoroughly
b. : a cause for attention or concern
money is no object
4. : a thing that forms an element of or constitutes the subject matter of an investigation or science
5.
a. : a noun or noun equivalent (as a pronoun, gerund, or clause) denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb
b. : a noun or noun equivalent in a prepositional phrase
6.
a. : a data structure in object-oriented programming that can contain functions as well as data, variables, and other data structures
b. : a discrete entity (as a window or icon) in computer graphics that can be manipulated independently of other such entities
Synonyms: see intention
• ob·ject·less -ləs adjective
• ob·ject·less·ness noun
II. əb-ˈjekt verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin objectus, past participle of obicere to throw in the way, object
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
: to put forth in opposition or as an objection
object ed that the statement was misleading
intransitive verb
1. : to oppose something firmly and usually with words or arguments
2. : to feel distaste for something
• ob·jec·tor -ˈjek-tər noun
III. same as 1 adjective
Date: 1959
: of, relating to, or being object code
an object file