differentiation

American  

[dif-uh-ren-shee-ey-shuhn] / ˌdɪf əˌrɛn ʃiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of differentiating, or the state of being differentiated.

2. Mathematics. the operation of finding the differential or derivative of a function.

3. Biology. the process by which cells or tissues change from relatively generalized to specialized kinds, during development.

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differentiation British  

/ ˌdɪfəˌrɛnʃɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or result of differentiating

2. maths an operation used in calculus in which the derivative of a function or variable is determined; the inverse of integration See integration

3. any process in which a mixture of materials separates out partially or completely into its constituent parts, as in the cooling and solidification of a magma into two or more different rock types or in the gradual separation of an originally homogeneous earth into crust, mantle, and core

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differentiation Scientific  

/ dĭf′ə-rĕn′shē-ā′shən /

1. In calculus, the process of computing the derivative of a function.

2. Compare integration

3. The process by which cells or parts of an organism change during development to serve a specific function. The cells of an animal in its early embryonic phase, for example, are identical at first but develop by differentiation into specific tissues, such as bone, heart muscle, and skin. The factors determining the differentiation of any particular cell are not well understood, but in deuterostomes (vertebrates and other complex animals) they include the location of the cell relative to other cells.

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Etymology

Origin of differentiation

First recorded in 1800–10; differentiat(e) + -ion

Example Sentences

He believes the discrepancy stems from Lilly’s success in the cash pay channel, which is driven by price rather than product differentiation.

From Barron's

“Mankind from the view of a biologist,” he writes, “is an animal species in a state of arrested differentiation and possible readmixture.”

From The Wall Street Journal

El Pollo Loco may be just the right combination of price and differentiation from fast-food burgers at a time when consumers are looking to save.

From Los Angeles Times

Markets allow firms to compete on differentiation, even when the differentiation is of questionable value to consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The elephant's gradiated structure can help with things like object differentiation while foraging and eating -- which they spend the vast majority of their time doing.

From Barron's