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 conception of stimulus and response gives us a differentia for experience and also enables us to distinguish within experience between consciousness and object.
From Creative Intelligence Essays in the Pragmatic Attitude by Bode, Boyd H.
Find the genus and differentia in the definition of “a good book of the hour.”
From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)
This something has been called—after the analogy of the differentia specifica which differentiates species within a genus—the differentia individua of the individual.
From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter
The differentia of aesthetic pleasure not its universality.
From The Sense of Beauty Being the Outlines of Aesthetic Theory by Santayana, George
The attribute or attributes whereby a species is distinguished from other species of the same genus, is called its differentia or differentiæ.
From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by Minto, William
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.
