Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To constitute the distinction between.
- intransitive verb To perceive or show the difference in or between; discriminate.
- intransitive verb To make different by alteration or modification.
- intransitive verb Mathematics To calculate the derivative or differential of (a function).
- intransitive verb To become distinct or specialized; acquire a different character.
- intransitive verb To make distinctions; discriminate.
- intransitive verb Biology To undergo differentiation.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A differential coefficient.
- To make different; distinguish by differences; constitute a difference between: as, color of skin differentiates the races of men.
- Specifically In biology, to accomplish or develop differentiation in; make unlike by modification; specialize in structure or function.
- In logic, to discriminate between, by observing or describing the differences.
- In mathematics, to obtain the differential or the differential coefficient of: as, to
differentiate an equation. - To acquire a distinct and separate character.
- In history and cytology, to reveal or resolve structures in (a cell, tissue, or organ) by treating with some stain or reagent.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb (Biol.) To acquire a distinct and separate character.
- transitive verb To distinguish or mark by a specific difference; to effect a difference in, as regards classification; to develop differential characteristics in; to specialize; to desynonymize.
- transitive verb To express the specific difference of; to describe the properties of (a thing) whereby it is differenced from another of the same class; to discriminate.
- transitive verb (Math.) To obtain the differential, or differential coefficient, of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
show , or be thedistinction between two things. - verb intransitive To
perceive thedifference between things; todiscriminate . - verb transitive, intransitive To
modify , or bemodified . - verb transitive, mathematics To
calculate thederivative of afunction . - verb transitive, mathematics To calculate the
differential of a function of multiplevariables . - verb intransitive, biology To produce distinct
organs or to achieve specific functions by a process ofdevelopment calleddifferentiation .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense
- verb evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment
- verb become different during development
- verb calculate a derivative; take the derivative
- verb become distinct and acquire a different character
- verb mark as different
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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If you've ever heard the phrase "differentiate or die," this is what it means.
Graciela Tiscareno-Sato: Learning From Latinos: San Francisco Green Biz Pioneer Hands Off Company to His Kids Graciela Tiscareno-Sato 2012
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If you've ever heard the phrase "differentiate or die," this is what it means.
Graciela Tiscareno-Sato: Learning From Latinos: San Francisco Green Biz Pioneer Hands Off Company to His Kids Graciela Tiscareno-Sato 2012
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If you've ever heard the phrase "differentiate or die," this is what it means.
Graciela Tiscareno-Sato: Learning From Latinos: San Francisco Green Biz Pioneer Hands Off Company to His Kids Graciela Tiscareno-Sato 2012
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If you've ever heard the phrase "differentiate or die," this is what it means.
Graciela Tiscareno-Sato: Learning From Latinos: San Francisco Green Biz Pioneer Hands Off Company to His Kids Graciela Tiscareno-Sato 2012
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In todays society as women have become more like men in dress and action and demeanor, the only thing that the younger generation has to differentiate is to wear LESS clothing, so to reveal a body that is female ....
House Dresses 2006
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While discussing your thrusts and parries with Justice Scalia, both of you committed a no-no when you misused the word differentiate.
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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While discussing your thrusts and parries with Justice Scalia, both of you committed a no-no when you misused the word differentiate.
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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Of course, in this case where there was a car accident with some injuries that might be difficult to differentiate from a possible assault, and without witnesses and without Tiger admitting that he was assaulted, the police may have difficulty in charging her.
Spousal abuse: Not a joking matter whether the victim is male or female « Mudpuddle 2009
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I was raised an American Baptist, I say that to appease my mother who always wants to differentiate from the Southern Baptists.
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There's too little difference between the 2007 and 1972 tones, for one thing -- Los Angeles circa 1972 is recreated very well, and looks right, but it's all done in very drab grey and brown tones that don't differentiate from the blue-grey tone of the 2007 setting.
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