noun

die Abbildung, -en

illustration

Ein Bild oder eine Zeichnung, die etwas zeigt oder darstellt.

The German word Abbildung has three primary meanings:

Illustration/Image: A visual representation, such as a picture, drawing, diagram, or photograph in a book, manual, or article.
Depiction/Representation: The act of representing something or someone in a visual or conceptual way (e.g., how a play depicts a historical event).
Mathematical Mapping: In mathematics, it refers to a relation between two sets where every element of the first set is associated with exactly one element of the second set (a function).

Grammar: It is a feminine noun (die Abbildung). The plural is die Abbildungen.
Word origin: The word is derived from the verb abbilden, which consists of the prefix ab- (off/away) and bilden (to form/to shape). Essentially, it means "to form a copy of something" or "to capture an image from reality."

Synonyms:

For the meaning of image/illustration: das Bild , die Darstellung , die Illustration , die Grafik .
For the mathematical meaning: die Funktion , die Zuordnung .

Antonyms:

There are no direct linguistic antonyms, but in terms of the act of representing, one might contrast it with die Abstraktion [?](vocabuo://word/Abstraktion] (abstraction), as an Abbildung often implies a closer, more literal copy than an abstract representation.