Differentiate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /dɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/

Definitions

1. To recognize or show the differences between two or more things, or to make something distinct from others
2. To discern or establish distinctions between various entities, including identifying unique characteristics that set one apart from others
3. To determine or articulate the unique aspects that distinguish multiple subjects, thus clarifying their individual identities

Etymology: The verb "differentiate" was built in New Latin from the Latin "differentia," meaning "difference." That noun came from "differre," to carry or bear apart, which combined "dis-" (apart, asunder) with "ferre" (to bear or carry). So the word's core image is literal separation: things carried in different directions. The verb took its form in the scientific Latin of the period, and its English use reflects that origin. Its earliest sense was technical and close to the Latin root: to make something distinct, or to mark a difference between things. Only later did it grow into the everyday sense of identifying what sets one thing apart from another, which is how we use it when we say a good teacher can differentiate between a careless error and a misunderstanding.

Synonyms: distinguish, discern, set apart

Antonyms: confound, ignore