object

English

Etymology

From Old French object, from Medieval Latin obiectum (“object”, literally “thrown against”), from obiectus, perfect passive participle of obiciō (“I throw against”), from ob- (“against”) +‎ iaciō (“I throw”), as a calque of Ancient Greek ἀντικείμενον (antikeímenon). Doublet of objet.

Pronunciation

• (noun)
  • (UK) enPR: ŏb'jĕkt, IPA^(key): /ˈɒb.d͡ʒɛkt/
  • (US) enPR: ŏb'jĕkt, IPA^(key): /ˈɑb.d͡ʒɛkt/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (verb)
  • (UK, US) enPR: əb-jĕkt', IPA^(key): /əbˈd͡ʒɛkt/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

object (plural objects)

1. A thing that has physical existence but is not alive.

   • Thing definition

     That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept. (1 of 24 thing definitions)

   • Physical definition

     Of medicine.

     1. Pertaining to the field of medicine; medical.
     2. That practises medicine; pertaining to doctors, physicianly.
     3. Medicinal; good for the health, curative, therapeutic.

     (1 of 12 physical definitions)

   • Existence definition

     The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood. (1 of 2 existence definitions)
2. Objective; goal, end or purpose of something.
   • 1825, Accounts and Papers, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords, page 91:

     Money is an Object to you?
     Money is an Object to me.

   • 1860, Thomas Fenner Curtis, The Progress of Baptist Principles in the Last Hundred Years, page 161:

     And yet it may be proper to show that if time were an object, little, if any thing, would necessarily be gained by sprinkling in place of immersion, where a large number had to be baptized.

   • 1863, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Reports from Committees, page 240:

     […] to secure first-class men you must either hold out a temptation of money, if money is an object to them, or if it is not, then after a certain number of years' service, perhaps, some honour to be bestowed upon them; one or the other, I think, ought to be given to secure the best men that you can.

   • 1877, South Australia. Parliament, Proceedings of the Parliament of South Australia: With Copies of Documents Ordered to be Printed ..., page 29:

     I think, if a captain had plenty of time to spare, and was not going on to any other port, he would prefer going into harbor; but if time were an object with him, and he wished to get away as quickly as possible, he would go to the pier outside.

   • 2000, Phyllis Barkas Goldman & John Grigni, Monkeyshines on Ancient Cultures

     The object of tlachtli was to keep the rubber ball from touching the ground while trying to push it to the opponent's endline.

   • Objective definition

     Of or relating to a material object, actual existence or reality. (1 of 6 objective definitions)

   • Goal definition

     A result that one is attempting to achieve. (1 of 5 goal definitions)

   • End definition

     The terminal point of something in space or time. (1 of 14 end definitions)

   • Purpose definition

     The end for which something is done, is made or exists. (1 of 5 purpose definitions)
4. (grammar) The noun phrase which is an internal complement of a verb phrase or a prepositional phrase. In a verb phrase with a transitive action verb, it is typically the receiver of the action.

   • Grammar definition

     A system of rules and principles for speaking and writing a language. (1 of 10 grammar definitions)

   • Noun Phrase definition

     A phrase that has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head or performs the same grammatical function as a noun.

   • Complement definition

     The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. (1 of 25 complement definitions)

   • Verb Phrase definition

     A construction in a clause consisting of a verb and its internal complements, or modifiers. (1 of 2 verb phrase definitions)

   • Prepositional Phrase definition

     A phrase containing both a preposition and its object or complement; may be used as an adjunct or a modifier.

   • Transitive definition

     Making a transit or passage. (1 of 8 transitive definitions)
5. A person or thing toward which an emotion is directed.

   Mary Jane had been the object of Peter's affection for years.

   The convertible, once the object of his desire, was now the object of his hatred.

   Where's your object of ridicule now?

7. (object-oriented programming) An instantiation of a class or structure.

   • Object-Oriented Programming definition

     A programming paradigm that uses hierarchies of "objects", instantiated from templates called "classes", to design applications and computer programs.

   • Instantiation definition

     The production of an instance, example, or specific application of a general classification, principle, theory, etc. (1 of 3 instantiation definitions)

   • Class definition

     A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. (1 of 20 class definitions)

   • Structure definition

     A cohesive whole built up of distinct parts. (1 of 8 structure definitions)
8. (category theory) An instance of one of the two kinds of entities that form a category, the other kind being the arrows (also called morphisms).

   Similarly, there is a category whose objects are groups and whose arrows are the homomorphisms from one group to another.

   • Category Theory definition

     A branch of mathematics which deals with spaces and maps between them in abstraction, taking similar theorems from various disparate more concrete branches of mathematics and unifying them.

   • Instance definition

     Urgency of manner or words; an urgent request; insistence. (1 of 11 instance definitions)

   • Entities definition

     plural of entity

   • Category definition

     A group, often named or numbered, to which items are assigned based on similarity or defined criteria. (1 of 2 category definitions)

   • Arrow definition

     A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow. (1 of 6 arrow definitions)

   • Morphism definition

     (formally) An arrow in a category; (less formally) an abstraction that generalises a map from one mathematical object to another and is structure-preserving in a way that depends on the branch of mathematics from which it arises. (1 of 2 morphism definitions)
9. (obsolete) Sight; show; appearance; aspect.
   • c. 1610s, George Chapman, Batrachomyomachia

     He, advancing close / Up to the lake, past all the rest, arose / In glorious object.

Synonyms

• (thing): article, item, thing
• (person or thing toward which an emotion is directed): target
• See also Thesaurus:goal

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• subject

Verb

object (third-person singular simple present objects, present participle objecting, simple past and past participle objected)

2. (intransitive) To disagree with or oppose something or someone; (especially in a Court of Law) to raise an objection.

   I object to the proposal to build a new airport terminal.

   We strongly object to sending her to jail for ten years.

   • 1975, Yao (孟瑤) Meng, “Homeward Bound”, in An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Literature: Taiwan, 1949-1974‎^[1], volume 2, Taipei: China Printing, Ltd., →OCLC, page 33:

     “It’s only a few minutes from Nankang to Hsichih, my friends. Kindly make room for the lady,” the driver was all unctuous smiles, and spoke as though nobody was going to object after he had given the word.

   • Disagree definition

     To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. (1 of 2 disagree definitions)

   • Oppose definition

     To attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend against. (1 of 4 oppose definitions)

   • Raise definition

     To cause to rise; to lift or elevate. (1 of 24 raise definitions)

   • Objection definition

     The act of objecting. (1 of 3 objection definitions)

   • Taipei definition

     The capital city of and a special municipality of Taiwan, located in the northern part of the island of Taiwan. (1 of 3 Taipei definitions)
3. (transitive, obsolete) To offer in opposition as a criminal charge or by way of accusation or reproach; to adduce as an objection or adverse reason.
   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 23, column 1:

     We thanke you both, yet one but flatters vs,
     As well appeareth by the cauſe you come,
     Namely, to appeale each other of high treaſon.
     Cooſin of Hereford, what doſt thou obiect
     Againſt the Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Mowbray?

   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     He 'gan to him object his heinous Crime,

   • 1708, Joseph Addison, The Present State of the War, and the Necessity of an Augmentation:

     There are others who will object the poverty of the nation.

   • 1571, John Whitgift, Admonition to the Parliament:

     The book […] giveth liberty to object any crime against any such as are to be ordered.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To set before or against; to bring into opposition; to oppose.
   • early 17th century, Edward Fairfax, Godfrey of Bulloigne: or The recovery of Jerusalem.

     Of less account some knight thereto object, / Whose loss so great and harmful can not prove.

   • c. 1678, Richard Hooker, a sermon

     some strong impediment or other objecting itself

   • 1725, Homer, “Book VIII”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     Pallas to their eyes / The mist objected, and condens'd the skies.

Derived terms

• objection

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French object, from Latin obiectum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔpˈjɛkt/, /ɔˈbjɛkt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ob‧ject

Noun

object n (plural objecten, diminutive objectje n)

1. object, item

   • Item definition

     A distinct physical object. (1 of 10 item definitions)
2. (grammar) object

Related terms

• objectief
• objectiviteit
• subject

Descendants

• Afrikaans: objek
• → Indonesian: objek