Added 10 October 2026
differentiation
/dɪf.əˌɹɛn.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Latin root: differō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about differentiation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes.
it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation
- The mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function.
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(biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function.
cell differentiation in the developing embryo
Origin
From differentiate + -ion, from different + -iate, from differ + -ent, from Middle English differen, from Old French differer, from Latin differō (“carry apart, put off, defer; differ”), from dis- (“apart”) + ferō (“carry, bear”); cognate with Ancient Greek διαφέρω (diaphérō, “to differ”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)