distance
/ˈdɪst(ə)n(t)s/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.85 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Chiefly in from a distance: a place which is far away or remote; specifically (especially painting), a more remote part of a landscape or view as contrasted with the foreground.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Chiefly with a modifying word: a measure between two points or quantities; a difference, a variance.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "[S]he […] gaue vs into our boate our ſupper halfe dreſſed, pots, and all, and brought vs to our boates ſide, in which wee laye all night, remoouing the ſame a pretie diſtance from the ſhoare: […]"
- "The prince is here at hand, pleaſeth your Lordſhip / To meet his grace iuſt diſtance tvveene our armies."
- "The third of Aprill, early in the morning, vvee had ſight of the Holy Port [Porto Santo], belonging to the Spaniard, vvhich Ile at eight leagues diſtance, gaue it ſelfe in this ſhape vnto vs."
- "Novv by this time the Man vvas got a good diſtance from them; But hovvever they vvere reſolved to purſue him; vvhich they did and in little time they over-took him"
- "[W]e get the Idea of Space, both by our Sight, and Touch; vvhich, I think, is ſo evident, that it vvould be as needleſs, to go to prove, that Men perceive by their Sight, a diſtance betvveen Bodies of different Colours, or betvveen the parts of the ſame Body; as that they ſee Colours themſelves: Nor is it leſs obvious, that they can do ſo in the Dark by Feeling and Touch. This Space conſidered barely in length betvveen any tvvo Beings, vvithout conſidering any thing elſe betvveen them, is called diſtance: If conſidered in Length, Breadth, and Thickneſs, I think, it may be called Capacity: […]"
- "VVe kept at a good diſtance off ſhore, and ſavv no Land till the 14th day; but then, being in lat. 12 d. 50 m. the Volcan of Guatimala appeared in ſight."
Etymology
From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”) * German Distanz; German Abstand * Italian distanza * Portuguese distância * Spanish distancia
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdɪst(ə)n(t)s/
- British English: /ˈdɪst(ə)n(t)s/
Usage
Inflected Forms
distances (plural)
distaunce (alternative)
distancy (alternative)
distances (present, singular)
distancing (participle, present)
distanced (participle, past)
distanced (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
distanced (first person, past)
distancest (archaic, present)
distanced (past, second person)
Derived Forms
biodistance
demidistance
distanceless
distancelessness
distanceometer
distancer
ecodistance
endistance
endistancement
equidistance
interdistance
isodistance