noun

• An act or instance of generalizing; concluding that something true of a subclass is true of the entire class
• The formulation of general concepts from specific instances by abstracting common properties.
• Inductive reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
• An oversimplified or exaggerated conception, opinion, or image of the members of a group.
• (mathematics) A proof, axiom, problem, or definition that includes another's cases, and also some additional cases; a conclusion reached by inferring from specific cases to more general cases or principles.