Singling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of choosing or isolating one individual or item from a group
2. A process where a single person or object is identified or picked out from others
3. Selecting one element or person distinctively from a larger set

Etymology: The verb "singling" is simply the present participle of "single," so its history is that of the verb. "Single" came into Middle English from Old French "sengle" or "saingle," which in turn came from Latin "singulus," meaning "one by one" or "individual." That Latin word was a diminutive, a small form built on the ancient root for "one" that also gave Latin "simplex," the source of English "simple." The two words are close relatives, which is why "simple" and "single" can seem to share a meaning of plainness and oneness. Latin "singulus" was itself a diminutive, so its base sense was roughly "little one," and it developed the sense of separate, individual items. "Singling" carries that idea into the act of selection: to single something out is to separate one thing from the rest of a group.

Synonyms: isolating, selecting, choosing, distinguishing, differentiating

Antonyms: grouping, mixing, combining, blending, assimilating