Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
concept, conception (nn.)
A concept is “a fairly general abstract idea,” and a conception is “a mental picture or grasp of a concept”: I have heard Fred’s proposed new concept of feudal law, but I have no real conception of what it implies. The two words are sometimes used as synonyms, but the distinction is worth keeping when possible. From their very natures both are always under pressure to generalize, and both are currently suffering a bit from overuse-indeed some people think them clichés. (Conception of course has another meaning in mammalian reproduction.)
