analysis

noun

1. (countable)Decomposition into components in order to study (a complex thing, concept, theory, etc.).

   “comparative analysis”

   “Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident. Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer.”

   “Beeching is more disparaging about suburban services beyond the capital, and I think here lies one of the most critical shortcomings in his analysis. By not considering the potential for these cities to grow, both on their own merits and in response to London's limitations, he failed to future-proof these types of service, limiting them in favour of long-distance services.”

2. (countable)The result of such a process.

   “Thus, in a sequence such as [French English teacher], since English is closer to the Head Noun teacher, it must be a Complement; and since French is further away from teacher, it must be an Attribute. Hence, we correctly predict that the only possible interpretation for [a French English teacher] is ‘a person who teaches English who is Frenchʼ. So our analysis not only has semantic plausi- bility; but in addition it has independent syntactic support.”

3. (uncountable)A broad field of study in modern mathematics (often mentioned alongside algebra) which developed out of the calculus, concerned with the behavior of functions, sequences, series, limits, metric spaces, measures and more.
4. (countable)Proof by deduction from known truths.
5. (countable, physical)The process of breaking down a substance into its constituent parts, or the result of this process.
6. (uncountable)The analytical study of melodies, harmonies, sequences, repetitions, variations, quotations, juxtapositions, and surprises.
7. (countable)Psychoanalysis.

   “The "Homosexuals" chapter gets off to a brisk start with a declaration from a man identified as "Nick August" ― a "self-proclaimed homosexual" ― that "homosexuals are men who are so terrified of their sexual feelings for their mothers, that they have spent their whole lives proving they don't have any feelings at all for women." We are not surprised to learn, later on, that he is in analysis; may I suggest that his analyst is a very old-fashioned one?”