distinct
English
Etymology
From Middle English distincte, from Old French, from Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere (“to distinguish”); see distinguish.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪŋkt
Adjective
distinct (comparative distincter or more distinct, superlative distinctest or most distinct)
- Capable of being perceived very clearly.
- 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:
- The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
- Her voice was distinct despite the heavy traffic.
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- Different from one another (with the preferable adposition being "from").
- 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 13, in Well Tackled!:
- “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.
- Horses are distinct from zebras.
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- Noticeably different from others; distinctive.
- Olga's voice is quite distinct because of her accent.
- Separate in place; not conjunct or united; with from.
- 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, OCLC 937919305:
- The intention was that the two armies which marched out together should afterward be distinct.
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- (obsolete) Distinguished; having the difference marked; separated by a visible sign; marked out; specified.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
- Wherever thus created — for no place / Is yet distinct by name.
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- (obsolete) Marked; variegated.
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, stanza 23:
- The which [place] was dight / With divers flowres distinct with rare delight.
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Synonyms
- (capable of being perceived very clearly): clear, vivid; see also Thesaurus:distinct
- (different from one another): different, separate, several (obsolete)
- (noticeably different): characteristic, distinctive, prominent
- (separate in place): discrete, individual, noncontinuous, separate
- (distinguished): specified
- (marked): patterned; see also Thesaurus:marked
Antonyms
- (capable of being perceived very clearly): confusing, indistinct; see also Thesaurus:indistinct
- (different from one another): same, indistinguishable
Derived terms
- distinctly
- distinctness
Related terms
- distinction
- distinctive
- distinguish
- distinguished
- distinguishable
- distinguishness
- extinct
Translations
very clear
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different from one another
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noticeably different
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
distinct (third-person singular simple present distincts, present participle distincting, simple past and past participle distincted)
- (obsolete, transitive) To distinguish; to make a distinction.
- 1788, James McHenry, letter to George Washington, 27 July, in The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections 1788–1790, vol. 2, ed. Gordon DenBoer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1984, page 109:
- Here every means is made use of to do away all distincting between federal and antifederal and I suspect with no very friendly design to the federal cause.
- 1788, James McHenry, letter to George Washington, 27 July, in The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections 1788–1790, vol. 2, ed. Gordon DenBoer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1984, page 109:
Further reading
- distinct in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- distinct in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin distinctus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dis.tɛ̃/, /dis.tɛ̃kt/
- Homophones: distincts (general), distincte, distinctes (form 2)
Adjective
distinct (feminine distincte, masculine plural distincts, feminine plural distinctes)
- distinct; discrete (separate, distinguished, different)
Related terms
- distinguer
Further reading
- “distinct”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French distinct, Latin distinctus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /disˈtinkt/
Adjective
distinct m or n (feminine singular distinctă, masculine plural distincți, feminine and neuter plural distincte)
- distinct
Declension
Declension of distinct
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative | indefinite | distinct | distinctă | distincți | distincte | ||
| definite | distinctul | distincta | distincții | distinctele | |||
| genitive/ dative | indefinite | distinct | distincte | distincți | distincte | ||
| definite | distinctului | distinctei | distincților | distinctelor | |||
Related terms
- distinctiv
- distincție
- distinge
Further reading
- distinct in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)