distance

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by Rukhabot (talk | contribs) as of 00:32, 4 September 2022.
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: distancé

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English distance, distaunce, destaunce, from Old French destance, from Latin distantia (distance, remoteness, difference), from distāns, present participle of distō (I stand apart, I am separate, distant, or different), from di-, dis- (apart) + stō (I stand). Compare Dutch afstand (distance, literally off-stand, off-stance), German Abstand.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdɪs.tɪns/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "weak vowel" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈdɪs.təns/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: (weak vowel merger) -ɪstəns

Noun

distance (countable and uncountable, plural distances)

  1. (countable) The amount of space between two points, usually geographical points, usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
    The distance to Petersborough is thirty miles.
    From Moscow, the distance is relatively short to Saint Petersburg, relatively long to Novosibirsk, but even greater to Vladivostok.
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, [], down the nave to the western door. [] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
  2. Length or interval of time.
    • 1718, Matthew Prior, Preface to a Collection of Poems
      ten years' distance between my writing the one and the other
    • 1795, John Playfair, Elements of Geometry
      the writings of Euclid at the distance of two thousand years
  3. (countable, informal) The difference; the subjective measure between two quantities.
    We're narrowing the distance between the two versions of the bill.  The distance between the lowest and next gear on my bicycle is annoying.
  4. Remoteness of place; a remote place.
  5. Remoteness in succession or relation.
    the distance between a descendant and his ancestor
  6. A space marked out in the last part of a racecourse.
  7. (uncountable, figuratively) The entire amount of progress to an objective.
    He had promised to perform this task, but did not go the distance.
  8. (uncountable, figuratively) A withholding of intimacy; alienation; variance.
    The friendship did not survive the row: they kept each other at a distance.
    • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seditions and Troubles”, in The Essayes [], 3rd edition, London: [] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
      Setting them [factions] at distance, or at least distrust amongst themselves.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. [], London: [] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker []; [a]nd by Robert Boulter []; [a]nd Matthias Walker, [], →OCLC:
      On the part of Heaven, / Now alienated, distance and distaste.
    • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate [], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, [], →OCLC:
      In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass. [] Strangers might enter the room, but they were made to feel that they were there on sufferance: they were received with distance and suspicion.
  9. The remoteness or reserve which respect requires; hence, respect; ceremoniousness.
  10. The space measured back from the winning-post which a racehorse running in a heat must reach when the winner has covered the whole course, in order to run in the final heat.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

distance (third-person singular simple present distances, present participle distancing, simple past and past participle distanced)

  1. (transitive) To move away (from) someone or something.
    He distanced himself from the comments made by some of his colleagues.
  2. (transitive) To leave at a distance; to outpace, leave behind.
    • 1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska 2005, p. 71:
      Then the horse, with muscles strong as steel, distanced the sound.
  3. (transitive) To lose interest in a specific issue.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams


Danish

Etymology

From French distance.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /distanɡsə/, [d̥iˈsd̥ɑŋsə]

Noun

distance c (singular definite distancen, plural indefinite distancer)

  1. distance
  2. detachment

Declension

Further reading


Esperanto

Etymology

From distanco +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

Adverb

distance

  1. To or at a great distance.
    rigardi pentraĵon distance.

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Latin distantia.

Noun

distance f (plural distances)

  1. distance (literal physical distance)
    On se tient à distance de deux kilomètres l’un de l’autre.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  2. distance (metaphoric or figurative)
    • 2014, Jean-Claude Bernardon ,Résolution de conflits
      Votre langage doit vous permettre de maintenir une bonne distance de sécurité, être un peu plus poli et détaché que nécessaire est un avantage.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    Il convient de la tenir à une certaine distance.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

distance

  1. inflection of distancer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading


Latvian

Noun

distance f (5 declension)

  1. distance
  2. interval
  3. railway division

Declension