Differentiation
[,dɪfərenʃɪ'eɪʃn] or [,dɪfə,rɛnʃi'eʃən]
Definition
(noun.) the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function.
(noun.) a discrimination between things as different and distinct; 'it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation'.
Editor: Marilyn--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The act of differentiating.
(n.) The act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference; exact definition or determination.
(n.) The gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development, as when the seed develops the root and the stem, the initial stem develops the leaf, branches, and flower buds; or in animal life, when the germ evolves the digestive and other organs and members, or when the animals as they advance in organization acquire special organs for specific purposes.
(n.) The supposed act or tendency in being of every kind, whether organic or inorganic, to assume or produce a more complex structure or functions.
Editor: Timmy
Synonyms and Antonyms
[See DIFFERENTIATE]
Checked by Hugo
Examples
- And in the present age, man is probably no longer undergoing differentiation at all. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Readmixture is now a far stronger force than differentiation. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Mankind from the view of a biologist is an animal species in a state of arrested differentiation and possible readmixture. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Such a splitting up of a species in the course of generations into two or more species is called the _Differentiation of Species_. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
Edited by Annabel