differentia
Americannoun
plural
differentiae-
the character or attribute by which one species is distinguished from all others of the same genus.
-
the character or basic factor by which one entity is distinguished from another.
noun
Etymology
Origin of differentia
From Latin, dating back to 1820–30; see origin at difference
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The differentia of aesthetic pleasure not its universality.
From The Sense of Beauty Being the Outlines of Aesthetic Theory by Santayana, George
What, according to Hobhouse, are the differentia of human morality from animal behavior?
From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra
It would be difficult to find a stronger differentia from the work of the mere playwright, who invariably thinks first of the temporary conditions of success, and accordingly loses the success which is not temporary.
From A History of Elizabethan Literature by Saintsbury, George
But it states an eternal verity, and so marks an essential differentia.
From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century by Saintsbury, George
The qualities which this general differentia has developed in French may now be enumerated.
From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
