n.
1.the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented
2.(philosophy) the philosophical theory that formal (logical or mathematical) statements have no meaning but that its symbols (regarded as physical entities) exhibit a form that has useful applications
3.the practice of scrupulous adherence to prescribed or external forms
Idiom of the Day
not able to see the forest for the trees
to allow the details of a situation to obscure the situation as a whole
The man is not able to see the forest for the trees and always allows the small details to obscure the larger picture of what he is trying to do.