# OOP glossary: Apprentice level

20 OOP terms at the Apprentice level, each with a short definition and a link to its full page.

Updated: October 12, 2026

[Study these as flash cards](https://www.ask-codey.com/decks/oop/apprentice)

- [Abstract](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/abstract): A class or function that must be overridden.
- [Access Modifier](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/access-modifier): A keyword that defines what other code is allowed to see or execute this code.
- [Base Class](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/base-class-oop): The class that other classes inherit from; it holds what they share.
- [Child Class](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/child-class): Another name for a derived class: a class that inherits from a parent class.
- [Derived Class](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/derived-class-oop): A class that inherits from another class and can add to it.
- [Encapsulation](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/encapsulation-oop): Keeping an object's data private so it can only change through the object's own methods.
- [Getter](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/getter-oop): A method or property part that reads a value from an object.
- [Inheritance](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/inheritance-oop): Letting a class reuse and extend the data and methods of another class.
- [Instance Member](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/instance-member): Data or a method that belongs to each individual object.
- [Method Overloading](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/method-overloading-oop): Several methods with the same name but different parameters.
- [Method Overriding](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/method-overriding-oop): A child class replacing an inherited method with its own version.
- [Object Identity](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/object-identity): Every object is its own separate thing, even if its data matches another object.
- [Parent Class](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/parent-class): Another name for a base class: the class a child class inherits from.
- [Polymorphism](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/polymorphism-oop): Different objects responding to the same method call in their own way.
- [Private](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/private-oop): An access level that hides the member from all code outside its own class.
- [Protected](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/protected-oop): An access level visible to the class itself and its child classes only.
- [Public](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/public-oop): An access level that lets any code use the member.
- [Setter](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/setter-oop): A method or property part that changes a value, often checking it first.
- [Static Member](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/static-member): Data or a method that belongs to the class itself, shared by all objects.
- [this / self](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/this-self): The keyword a method uses to refer to the object it was called on.

- Previous level: [Novice](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/oop/novice)
- Next level: [Journeyman](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/oop/journeyman)

[Every OOP term, by level](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/oop)

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/oop/apprentice