1350-1400;Middle English < Latindistinctus, past participle of disting(u)ere to divide off, pick out, distinguish (di-di-2 + *sting(u)ere presumably, to prick, mark by pricking; cf. instinct1, instigate)
Related forms
distinctness, noun
Synonyms
1. individual. See various. 3. well-defined, unconfused.
Antonyms
3, 4. indistinct.
Examples from the web for distinct
To avoid these mishaps trainers will use a distinct command releasing a dog to shake.
Specific crops are cultivated in distinct growing regions throughout the world.
There is no distinct beginning or end and the crowds do not particularly stop to watch.
In saying this, there are distinct differences between the two processes.
The mitochondrial genome is a circular dna molecule distinct from the nuclear dna.
These men organized the town with a distinct moral purpose in view.
As with their language, the basques are clearly a distinct ethnic group in their region.
Therefore, his generic models were quite distinct from those of defoe.
At the dna level, the halophiles exhibit distinct dinucleotide and codon usage.
Many differ from this definition, and maintain that homiletics is distinct from rhetoric.
British Dictionary definitions for distinct
distinct
/dɪˈstɪŋkt/
adjective
1.
easily sensed or understood; clear; precise
2.
(when postpositive, foll by from) not the same (as); separate (from); distinguished (from)
3.
not alike; different
4.
sharp; clear
5.
recognizable; definite: a distinct improvement
6.
explicit; unequivocal
7.
(maths, logic) (of a pair of entities) not identical
8.
(botany) (of parts of a plant) not joined together; separate
Derived Forms
distinctly, adverb distinctness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin distinctus, from distinguere to distinguish
Word Origin and History for distinct
adj.
late 14c., originally past participle of distincten (c.1300) "to distinguish," from Old French distincter, from Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere (see distinguish). Related: Distinctness.