class

n 1: a collection of things sharing a common attribute; "there

are two classes of detergents" [syn: {category}, {family}]

2: a body of students who are taught together; "early morning

classes are always sleepy" [syn: {form}, {grade}]

3: people having the same social or economic status; "the

working class"; "an emerging professional class" [syn: {social

class}, {socio-economic class}]

4: education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings;

"he took a course in basket weaving"; "flirting is not

unknown in college classes" [syn: {course}, {course of

study}, {course of instruction}]

5: a league ranked by quality; "he played baseball in class D

for two years"; "Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA"

[syn: {division}]

6: a body of students who graduate together: "the class of

'97"; "she was in my year at Hoehandle High" [syn: {year}]

7: (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders

8: (informal) elegance in dress or behavior; "she has a lot of

class"

v : arrange or order by classes or categories; "How would you

classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?"

[syn: {classify}, {sort}, {assort}, {sort out}, {separate}]

class

1. The prototype for an {object} in an

{object-oriented language}; analogous to a {derived type} in a

{procedural language}. A class may also be considered to be a

set of objects which share a common structure and behaviour.

The structure of a class is determined by the {class

variables} which represent the {state} of an object of that

class and the behaviour is given by a set of {methods}

associated with the class.

Classes are related in a {class hierarchy}. One class may be

a specialisation (a "{subclass}") of another (one of its

"{superclasses}") or it may be composed of other classes or it

may use other classes in a {client-server} relationship. A

class may be an {abstract class} or a {concrete class}.

See also {signature}.

2. See {type class}.

3. One of three types of {Internet addresses}

distinguished by their most significant bits.

3. A language developed by the {Andrew Project}.

It was one of the first attempts to add {object-oriented}

features to {C}.

(1995-05-01)