An archaic or poetic term for difference, distinction, or the quality of being different from something else.
From Latin 'differentia' with the English suffix '-cy' (forming nouns of condition or quality). This is an older variant of 'difference,' similar to how 'excellency' relates to 'excellence.'
Medieval and Renaissance writers loved the word 'differency'—it sounds more elegant than 'difference'! The '-cy' ending is why we have both 'difference' and 'differency,' just like 'fluency' and 'fluence' are different forms of the same idea.
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