Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - object

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin ~um, from Latin, neuter of ~us, past participle of obicere to throw in the way, present, hinder, from ob- in the way + jacere to throw — more at ob-, jet  Date: 14th century  1.  a. something material that may be perceived by the senses I see an ~ in the distance  b. something that when viewed stirs a particular emotion (as pity) look to the tragic loading of this bed…the ~ poisons sight; let it be hid — Shakespeare  2.  a. something mental or physical toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed an ~ for study the ~ of my affection delicately carved art ~s  b. something physical that is perceived by an individual and becomes an agent for psychological identification the mother is the primary ~ of the child  3.  a. the goal or end of an effort or activity ; purpose, ~ive their ~ is to investigate the matter thoroughly  b. a cause for attention or concern money is no ~  4. a thing that forms an element of or constitutes the subject matter of an investigation or science  5.  a. a noun or noun equivalent (as a pronoun, gerund, or clause) denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb  b. a noun or noun equivalent in a prepositional phrase  6.  a. a data structure in ~-oriented programming that can contain functions as well as data, variables, and other data structures  b. a discrete entity (as a window or icon) in computer graphics that can be manipulated independently of other such entities  Synonyms: see intention  • ~less adjective  • ~lessness noun  II. verb  Etymology: Middle English, from Latin ~us, past participle of obicere to throw in the way, ~  Date: 15th century  transitive verb to put forth in opposition or as an ~ion ~ed that the statement was misleading  intransitive verb  1. to oppose something firmly and usually with words or arguments  2. to feel distaste for something  • ~or noun  III. adjective  Date: 1959 of, relating to, or being ~ code an ~ file