Distinguish definition

Distinguish





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4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Distinguish \Dis*tin"guish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
     {Distinguished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Distinguishing}.] [F.
     distinguer, L. distinguere, distinctum; di- = dis- +
     stinguere to quench, extinguish; prob. orig., to prick, and
     so akin to G. stechen, E. stick, and perh. sting. Cf.
     {Extinguish}.]


     1. Not set apart from others by visible marks; to make
        distinctive or discernible by exhibiting differences; to
        mark off by some characteristic.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Not more distinguished by her purple vest,
              Than by the charming features of her face. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Milton has distinguished the sweetbrier and the
              eglantine.                            --Nares.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To separate by definition of terms or logical division of
        a subject with regard to difference; as, to distinguish
        sounds into high and low.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Moses distinguished the causes of the flood into
              those that belong to the heavens, and those that
              belong to the earth.                  --T. Burnet.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To recognize or discern by marks, signs, or characteristic
        quality or qualities; to know and discriminate (anything)
        from other things with which it might be confounded; as,
        to distinguish the sound of a drum.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              We are enabled to distinguish good from evil, as
              well as truth from falsehood.         --Watts.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Nor more can you distinguish of a man,
              Than of his outward show.             --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. To constitute a difference; to make to differ.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Who distinguisheth thee?              --1 Cor. iv.
                                                    7. (Douay
                                                    version).
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. To separate from others by a mark of honor; to make
        eminent or known; to confer distinction upon; -- with by
        or for."To distinguish themselves by means never tried
        before." --Johnson.
  
     Syn: To mark; discriminate; differentiate; characterize;
          discern; perceive; signalize; honor; glorify.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Distinguish \Dis*tin"guish\, v. i.
     1. To make distinctions; to perceive the difference; to
        exercise discrimination; -- with between; as, a judge
        distinguishes between cases apparently similar, but
        differing in principle.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To become distinguished or distinctive; to make one's self
        or itself discernible. [R.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The little embryo . . . first distinguishes into a
              little knot.                          --Jer. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  distinguish
       v 1: mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple"
            [syn: {separate}, {differentiate}, {secern}, {secernate},
             {severalize}, {severalise}, {tell}, {tell apart}]
       2: detect with the senses; "The fleeing convicts were picked
          out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I
          can't make out the faces in this photograph" [syn: {recognize},
           {recognise}, {discern}, {pick out}, {make out}, {tell
          apart}]
       3: be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in
          a very positive sense; "His modesty distinguishes him form
          his peers" [syn: {mark}, {differentiate}]
       4: make conspicuous or noteworthy [syn: {signalize}, {signalise}]
       5: identify as in botany or biology, for example [syn: {identify},
           {discover}, {key}, {key out}, {describe}, {name}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  142 Moby Thesaurus words for "distinguish":
     adorn, aggrandize, analyze, anatomize, atomize, be characteristic,
     behold, bestow honor upon, call attention to, catch sight of,
     categorize, change, characterize, chop logic, clap eyes on,
     classify, confer distinction on, contradistinguish, decide, define,
     demarcate, demark, denote, describe, descry, designate,
     desynonymize, detach, detect, determinate, determine, diagnose,
     difference, differentiate, dignify, discern, discover,
     discriminate, disengage, disequalize, disjoin, diversify, divide,
     draw the line, earmark, ennoble, erect, espy, extricate, feel,
     finger, glimpse, glorify, grace, grade, group, have, have in sight,
     hear, honor, identify, indicate, individualize, individuate, judge,
     ken, keynote, know, know again, lay eyes on, look on, look upon,
     magnify, make a distinction, make out, mark, mark off, mark out,
     mark the interface, modify, nail, note, notice, observe, part,
     particularize, peg, perceive, personalize, pick out, pick up,
     pinpoint, place, qualify, realize, recall knowledge of, recognize,
     refine a distinction, reidentify, remark, screen, screen out, see,
     segregate, select, sense, separate, set a limit, set apart,
     set off, set the pace, set the tone, sever, severalize, sieve,
     sieve out, sift, sift out, sight, signalize, single out, smell,
     sort, sort out, sound the keynote, specialize, split hairs, spot,
     spy, subdivide, sublime, subtilize, take in, taste, tell,
     tell apart, twig, uprear, vary, view, winnow, witness
  
  

















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