distinguish
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Alternative spellings
- diſtinguiſh (archaic)
[edit] Etymology
< Middle English distingwen < Old French distinguer < Latin distinguere (“‘to separate, divide, distinguish, set off, adorn, literally mark off’”) < di- for dis- (“‘apart’”) + *stinguere; see sting, stigma, style. Compare extinguish.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to distinguish (third-person singular simple present distinguishes, present participle distinguishing, simple past and past participle distinguished)
- To see someone or something as different from others.
- 1922, De Lacy O'Leary, Arabic Thought and Its Place in History:
- It had begun to take a leading place even in the days of the Ptolemies, and in scientific, as distinguished from purely literary work, it had assumed a position of primary importance early in the Christian era.
- 1922, De Lacy O'Leary, Arabic Thought and Its Place in History:
- To see someone or something clearly or distinctly.
- To make one's self noticeably different or better from others through accomplishments.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
to see someone or something as different from others
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to see someone or something clearly or distinctly
to make one's self noticeably different
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- distinguish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- distinguish in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
