Definition of "reify" [reify]

• To regard or treat (an abstraction) as if it had concrete or material existence. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I implemented my lazymap library in terms reify where gen-class was required before."
• "Factor analysis is harmless as data reduction, but it is tempting to "reify" the factors, to suppose that they are the hidden causes behind the observations."
• "The usual inclination, however, is to reify, sometimes magnify, differences, especially when we consider culture and violence."