Shows or creates differences between things, or causes something to become distinct or specialized.
From Medieval Latin 'differentiatus,' past participle of 'differentiate,' meaning to make different. Derived from 'differentia' (difference) and Latin 'ferre' (to carry/bear). The prefix 'dis-' means apart, and '-entia' means state or quality.
Biology hijacked this word to describe how embryonic cells become specialized—a single cell becomes a neuron or muscle cell through differentiation, which is literally the same process as telling two things apart linguistically.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.