aberration

Definition

A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected; a deviation from the typical pattern. In optics, a distortion in an image formed by a lens or mirror.

Etymology

From Latin aberrationem, from aberrare meaning 'to wander away,' composed of ab- 'away from' and errare 'to wander.' The word entered English in the 16th century through scientific Latin, initially used in astronomy and optics before expanding to general usage.

Learn this word in a 5-minute lesson

Hook, Story, Wonder, Action, Wisdom — one word at a time.

Start Today's Lesson — Free

No account required. 365 lessons across 19 languages.

Translations (30 languages)

Try another word →

For Developers

Access this word programmatically via the Word Orb API. Free tier: 10,000 calls/day, no credit card.

curl https://api.wordorb.ai/api/word/aberration View API Pricing →