projection
noun/pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/
Etymology From either the Middle French projection or its etymon, the Classical Latin prōiectiō (stem: prōiectiōn-), from prōiciō, equivalent to project + -ion. Compare the Modern French projection, the German Projektion, and the Italian proiezione.
15 senses
- 1Something which projects, protrudes, juts out, sticks…
- 2The action of projecting or throwing or propelling something.
- 3The crisis or decisive point of any process, especially…
- 4The display of an image by devices such as movie…
- 5A forecast or prognosis obtained by extrapolation.
- 6A belief or assumption that others have similar thoughts…
- 7The image that a translucent object casts onto another object.
- 8Any of several systems of intersecting lines that allow…
- 9An image of an object on a surface of fewer dimensions.
- 10An idempotent linear transformation which maps vectors…
- 11A transformation which extracts a fragment of a…
- 12A morphism from a categorical product to one of its…
- 13The preservation of the properties of lexical items…
- 14A supposed mechanism for the transmutation of large…
- 15The distance the scent of a perfume radiates off the skin.
Something which projects, protrudes, juts out, sticks out, or stands out.
- The face of the cliff had many projections that were big enough for birds to nest on.
- Originally the opening had doubtless marked the projection of another road, but the scheme had come to nothing.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:
The action of projecting or throwing or propelling something.
Archaic The crisis or decisive point of any process, especially a culinary process.
The display of an image by devices such as movie projector, video projector, overhead projector or slide projector.
A forecast or prognosis obtained by extrapolation.
- Some projections have estimated that Shah’s party is on track to secure around 184 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.2026 March 11, Chad de Guzman, “Who Is Balendra Shah, the Rapper On Track to Become Nepal’s Next Prime Minister”, in TIME, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2026:
Human sciences, Psychology, Sciences A belief or assumption that others have similar thoughts and experiences to one's own, including making accusations that would more fittingly apply to the accuser.
- Projection is another mechanism of defense and is one that is utilized almost universally to explain one's minor mistakes, and in many cases the minor failures as well. By projection we place the blame for our acts upon others....1937, John W. Vann, “To What Extent Is Reality Adjustment Concerned In The Selection Of The Flying Trainee?”, in United States Naval Medical Bulletin, volume 35, page 437:
- The morality of patriarchy, Mary Daly argues, is charactrized by "a failure to lay claim to that part of the psyche that is then projected onto 'the Other.'"1980 May 23, Judith Plaskow, “Blaming Jews for Inventing Patriarchy”, in Lilith Magazine, volume 7:
Arts, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Photography The image that a translucent object casts onto another object.
Cartography, Geography, Natural sciences Any of several systems of intersecting lines that allow the curved surface of the earth to be represented on a flat surface. The set of mathematics used to calculate coordinate positions.
Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences An image of an object on a surface of fewer dimensions.
Linear algebra, Mathematics, Sciences An idempotent linear transformation which maps vectors from a vector space onto a subspace.
Mathematics, Sciences A transformation which extracts a fragment of a mathematical object.
Category theory, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A morphism from a categorical product to one of its (two) components.
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences The preservation of the properties of lexical items while generating the phrase structure of a sentence. See Projection principle.
Alchemy, Pseudoscience Obsolete A supposed mechanism for the transmutation of large quantities of base metals.
- I speak not here of Projection, whereby one part of an Aurifick Powder is said to turn I know not how many 100 or 1000 parts of an ignobler metal into silver or gold […]1666, Robert Boyle, The Origine of Formes and Qualities […], page 365:
- But yet I would that every one should understand me aright, and not count me so simple, as if I did liken or compare my Aurum Potabile with that great Stone of the Philosophers, which transmutes vast quantities of imperfect metals into most pure Gold by projection […]1689, Johann Rudolf Glauber, translated by Christopher Packe, The Works of the Highly Experienced and Famous Chymist, John Rudolph Glauber […], page 216:
1 more example
- [Helmont] says, on another occasion, that an adept, after a few days of acquaintance, presented him with half a grain of the powder of projection, with which he transmuted nine ounces of quicksilver into pure gold.1888, Arthur Edward Waite, Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers […], page 167:
The distance the scent of a perfume radiates off the skin.
- SKIN SCENT¶ A fragrance with low projection. One which stays close to the skin because the materials used to make it are less volatile.2021, Sarah McCartney, Samantha Scriven, The Perfume Companion […] , Frances Lincoln, →ISBN, page 283:
- Derived terms
62 terms
first angle projection, front projection, point-projection perspective, power projection, projectional → projectionally, projectionism, projectionist, projectionless, Robinson projection, spiny projection neuron, third angle projection, time projection chamber, astroprojection, autoprojection, backprojection, deprojection, eigenprojection, holoprojection, microprojection, misprojection, nonprojection, overprojection, reprojection, retroprojection, Aitoff projection, Albers projection, Babinet projection, Bonne projection, Bottomley projection, Eckert projection, Fischer projection, Gall-Peters projection, Hammer projection, Haworth projection, Lissajous projection, Littrow projection, Mercator projection, Mollweide projection, van der Grinten projection, Werner projection, 3D projection, astral projection, axonometric projection, back projection, calligraphic projection, cordiform projection, dimetric projection, first-angle projection, gnomonic projection, graphical projection, isometric projection, map projection, oblique projection, orthographic projection, parallel projection, perspective projection, projection matrix, projection microscope, rear projection, stereographic projection, third-angle projection, trimetric projection- Related terms
- project, projectable, projective, projectment, projectome, projector, projecture