Diffs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Variations or differences between two or more things; distinctions or disagreements in opinion; divergences or changes noted in comparison
2. Discrepancies or contrasts found when comparing items; disagreements or conflicts arising from differing views; changes or alterations identified by comparison
3. Distinct points of difference among objects or ideas; disputes or incompatibilities between parties; variations or modifications observed through side-by-side evaluation

Etymology: "Diffs" is simply the plural of "diff", a shortened form of "difference" that came into use in computing circles, where it names the list of changes between two versions of a file. The clipping follows a common pattern in informal English, in which a longer word is trimmed to its first syllable, as with "info" for "information" or "ad" for "advertisement". Programmers adopted the short form because it was quick to type and easy to say, and it has since spread beyond software into everyday talk about any comparison of two versions of something.

Synonyms: differences, discrepancies, distinctions, variations

Antonyms: similarities, agreements, uniformities