# difference

Pronunciation: say "DIF-runss" /ˈdɪf(ə)ɹəns/

## Noun

1. A way in which people or things are unlike one another, or the state of being unlike.
   - Simple: A way in which people or things are not the same, or the fact that they are not the same.
   - _The main difference between the two phones is battery life._
   - _Several subtle differences distinguish the original painting from the copy._
2. A meaningful effect on a situation or on how things stand, as in make a difference.
   - Simple: A real change or effect on a situation.
   - _The new policy made a real difference in how quickly cases were resolved._
   - _Even a few extra hours of sleep can make a noticeable difference._
3. The amount left when one number is subtracted from another, sometimes given as the absolute value of the outcome.
   - Simple: What you get when you subtract one number from another.
   - _Subtract the smaller figure from the larger to get the difference._
   - _The difference between 100 and 65 is 35._
4. A disagreement or quarrel between people.
   - Simple: A disagreement or argument between people.
   - _The neighbors had a difference about where the property line ran._
   - _The partners set aside their differences and finished the project together._
5. The set of elements that belong to one set but not to another.
   - Simple: In math, the group of items that are in one set but not in the other.
   - _The difference of A and B includes every member of A that is absent from B._
   - _Computing the difference of two sets leaves out their shared elements._
6. The quality or attribute added to those of a genus to mark off a species; a differentia.
   - Simple: In old logic, the special feature that sets one kind apart within a larger group.
   - _Philosophers held that the difference of the human species is the capacity to reason._
   - _To define a species, one adds its difference to the broader genus._

## Noun

7. Choice or preference; the inclination to favor one thing over another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of choosing, or a liking for one thing more than another.

## Verb

8. To distinguish or set apart one thing from another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To tell one thing apart from another.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A Boolean operation that is true when its two inputs differ and false otherwise; the XOR operation.
- (noun) An addition to a coat of arms that distinguishes the bearings of two people which would otherwise be identical.

## Origin

This word comes from Latin "differentia" ("difference"), from "differēns," the present participle of "differre." It reached English through Old French "difference" and Middle English "difference," and is built from "differ" plus "-ence."

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