Aberration vs. Extinction — What's the Difference?

A deviation from what is typical or normal

Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point.

A departure from what is considered natural or proper

The act of extinguishing

An abnormal, usually temporary alteration in one's mental state.

The condition of being extinguished

A defect of focus, such as blurring in an image.

The fact of being extinct or the process of becoming extinct

An imperfect image caused by a physical defect in an optical element, as in a lens.

(Psychology) A reduction or a loss in the strength or rate of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus or reinforcement is withheld.

The apparent displacement of the position of a celestial body in the direction of motion of an observer on Earth, caused by the motion of Earth and the finite velocity of light.

(Physiology) A gradual decrease in the excitability of a nerve to a previously adequate stimulus, usually resulting in total loss of excitability.

(Genetics) A deviation in the normal structure or number of chromosomes in an organism.

(Astronomy) The dimming of celestial objects, usually measured in magnitudes, due to scattering and absorption of their light as it passes through interstellar dust clouds and the earth's atmosphere.

The act of wandering; deviation from truth, moral rectitude; abnormal; divergence from the straight, correct, proper, normal, or from the natural state.

The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation.

(optics) The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; a defect in a focusing mechanism that prevents the intended focal point.

(astronomy) The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.

(astronomy) A small periodical change of the apparent positions of the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer.

(pathology) The inability to perceive multiple stimuli simultaneously.

The tendency of light rays to preferentially strike the leading face of a moving object (the effect underlying the above phenomenon).

(psychology) The fading of a conditioned response over time if it is not reinforced.

A partial alienation of reason.

The act of extinguishing or making extinct; a putting an end to; the act of putting out or destroying light, fire, life, activity, influence, etc.

A mental disorder, especially one of a minor or temporary character.

State of being extinguished or of ceasing to be; destruction; suppression; as, the extinction of life, of a family, of a quarrel, of claim.

Atypical development or structure; deviation from the normal type; an aberrant organ.

The ceasing to exist of a species of living organism, such as a plant or animal, whose numbers declined to the point where the last member of the species died and therefore no new members of the species could ever again be born.

(medicine) A deviation of a tissue, organ or mental functions from what is considered to be within the normal range.

No longer in existence;

(electronics) A defect in an image produced by an optical or electrostatic lens system.

No longer active; extinguished;

The act of wandering; deviation, especially from truth or moral rectitude, from the natural state, or from a type.

The reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation

A partial alienation of reason.

Complete annihilation;

A small periodical change of position in the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer; called annual aberration, when the observer's motion is that of the earth in its orbit, and daily or diurnal aberration, when of the earth on its axis; amounting when greatest, in the former case, to 20.4'', and in the latter, to 0.3''. Planetary aberration is that due to the motion of light and the motion of the planet relative to the earth.

A conditioning process in which the reinforcer is removed and a conditioned response becomes independent of the conditioned stimulus

The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; called spherical aberration, when due to the spherical form of the lens or mirror, such form giving different foci for central and marginal rays; and chromatic aberration, when due to different refrangibilities of the colored rays of the spectrum, those of each color having a distinct focus.

The act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning;

The passage of blood or other fluid into parts not appropriate for it.

The producing of an unintended effect by the glancing of an instrument, as when a shot intended for A glances and strikes B.

A state or condition markedly different from the norm

A disorder in one's mental state

An optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image