differentiate
/ˌdɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.62 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To teach a lesson in multiple different ways in order to meet the needs of more or less advanced students.
Intransitive verb
verb
To (cause to) go through a process of development called differentiation; to make or become different in form or function.
Intransitive verb; Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "A humble instance of Ablaut may be quoted which took place in the seventeenth century, when the word then was differentiated into the two forms then and than."
- "What differentiates an alligator from a crocodile?"
- "Taste differentiates a gentleman—for instance, Mr. Addison—from a Hottentot or Laplander."
- "How do you differentiate a fake smile from a genuine one?"
- "In the earlier chapters uncouth proper names are reduced to a minimum, but the Index refers by name to specific places and persons only generally mentioned in the earlier pages. For instance, the states of Lu and Chêng on pages 22 and 29 : it is hard enough to differentiate Ts‘i, Tsin, Ts‘in, and Ts‘u at the outstart, without crowding the memory with fresh names until the necessity for it absolutely arises."
- "The mass of the rich and poor are differentiated by their incomes and nothing else, and the average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin differō Latin differēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin differentia New Latin differentiō New Latin differentiātusbor. English differentiate From New Latin differentiātus, perfect passive participle of differentiō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from Latin differentia (“difference”); see difference.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: differentiātus, differentia
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌdɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/
- British English: /dɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
specialize
differentialize
change
transform
differentiate
differentialize (rare) ?
distinguish
individualize
particularize
severalize