In philosophy and logic, the specific characteristic or property that distinguishes one thing from another within the same category.
From Latin 'differentia' (difference, distinction), derived from 'differre' (to differ). In medieval scholastic philosophy, it became a technical term for the essential distinguishing feature in definitions.
Philosophers used 'differentia' as a core tool: in logic, if 'animal' is the genus (category), the 'differentia' is what makes humans different from other animals—rationality! It's how they built definitions using philosophy's mathematical precision.
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