pro|jec|tion

pro|jec|tion «pruh JEHK shuhn», noun.

1. a part that projects or sticks out: »

rocky projections on the face of a cliff.

2. the act or fact of sticking out: »

The projection of that pole out into the hall may cause someone to trip and fall.

3. the act or fact of throwing or casting forward: »

the projection of a shell from a cannon, the projection of motion pictures on a screen.

4. the representation, upon a flat surface, of all or part of the surface of the earth or the celestial sphere.

5. Geometry. the act or fact of projecting a figure, upon a line, plane, or surface.

6. Figurative. the act or fact of forming projects or plans: »

The mayor's projections for rebuilding the slum areas of the city have found wide acceptance.

7. Figurative. an estimate of what will happen; forecast made especially on the basis of past performance: »

None of this means that the latest projections are wrong or that a recession is about to start (Wall Street Journal). If the present projections are realized, there will be twice as many people in Latin America as in North America by the year 2000 (Atlantic).

8. Psychology, Psychiatry. the treating of what is essentially subjective as objective and external; attributing one's own ideas or feelings to another person or group.

9. Alchemy. the casting of the powder of the philosophers' stone upon metal in fusion in order to transmute it into gold or silver.