differentia
Americannoun
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the character or attribute by which one species is distinguished from all others of the same genus.
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the character or basic factor by which one entity is distinguished from another.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Musset, who was very much of a free-lance in the contest, maintained indeed that the differentia of the Romantic was the copious use of this part of speech.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various
The Aristotelians said that the differentia must be of the essence of the subject.
From Analysis of Mr. Mill's System of Logic by Stebbing, W. (William)
A. All engraving must be cut work;—that is its differentia.
From Ariadne Florentina Six Lectures on Wood and Metal Engraving by Ruskin, John
The differentia is that part of a definition which names the difference between the term defined and the general class to which it belongs.
From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)
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.
