# differ

Pronunciation: US say "DIF-ur" /ˈdɪfɚ/; UK say "DIF-uh" /ˈdɪfə/

## Verb

1. To be unlike or distinct from something else in qualities, traits, or characteristics.
   - Simple: To not be the same as something else.
   - _The twins look alike but differ greatly in personality._
   - _Building styles differ sharply from one region to another._
2. To hold a diverging opinion; to disagree about something.
   - Simple: To not agree with someone about something.
   - _Historians differ about the underlying causes of the war._
   - _We may differ on the details, but we share the same goal._
3. To be separated in quantity, so that one amount is unequal to another by some measurable gap.
   - Simple: To not be equal in amount or number.
   - _The two estimates differ by several thousand units._
   - _Temperatures in the two cities differ by about ten degrees._

## Noun

4. A program that compares two files and reports the differences between them; a diff.
   - Simple: A computer tool that shows where two files are not the same.
   - _He piped the output through a differ to spot the edits._
   - _Most version control systems ship with a built-in differ._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English 'differren', via Old French 'differer', from Latin 'differō' ("carry apart, put off, differ"), formed from 'dis-' ("apart") plus 'ferō' ("carry, bear"). It is a doublet of 'defer' and 'dilate'.
**Meaning 4** — Formed from 'diff' combined with the suffix '-er'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/differ (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).