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
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.
Swift and Chatterton, with all their vast talents, wanted, we think, the fine differentia, and the genial element of real poetic genius.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 15, August, 1851 by Various
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
Non enim animal potest esse absque rationali vel irrationali differentia, quamvis sine his differentiis consideretur; licet enim cogitetur universale absque additione, non tamen absque receptibilitate additionis est.
From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter
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 has also been called by some the differentia numerica, and by Scotists the haecceitas.
From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter
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.
