analysis Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole
  2. noun the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations
    analytic thinking.
  3. noun a form of literary criticism in which the structure of a piece of writing is analyzed
  4. noun the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., `the father of the bride' instead of `the bride's father'
  5. noun a branch of mathematics involving calculus and the theory of limits; sequences and series and integration and differentiation
  6. noun a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud
    psychoanalysis; depth psychology.
    • his physician recommended psychoanalysis

WordNet

A*nal"y*sis noun
Etymology
Gr. , fr. to unloose, to dissolve, to resolve into its elements; up + to loose. See Loose.
Wordforms
plural Analyses
Definitions
  1. A resolution of anything, whether an object of the senses or of the intellect, into its constituent or original elements; an examination of the component parts of a subject, each separately, as the words which compose a sentence, the tones of a tune, or the simple propositions which enter into an argument. It is opposed to synthesis.
  2. (Chem.) The separation of a compound substance, by chemical processes, into its constituents, with a view to ascertain either (a) what elements it contains, or (b) how much of each element is present. The former is called qualitative, and the latter quantitative analysis.
  3. (Logic) The tracing of things to their source, and the resolving of knowledge into its original principles.
  4. (Math.) The resolving of problems by reducing the conditions that are in them to equations.
  5. (a) A syllabus, or table of the principal heads of a discourse, disposed in their natural order. (b) A brief, methodical illustration of the principles of a science. In this sense it is nearly synonymous with synopsis.
  6. (Nat. Hist.) The process of ascertaining the name of a species, or its place in a system of classification, by means of an analytical table or key.

Webster 1913