Main Entry: ¹ob·ject

Pronunciation: \ˈäb-jikt, -(ˌ)jekt\

Function: 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 objects> 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