differentiate

Formsdifferentiates, differentiating, differentiated

Pluraldifferentiates

1. 1
   verbtransitive

   To recognize one thing as different or distinct from another.

   Experts can differentiate genuine antiques from clever reproductions.

   The taster differentiated the blends by their finish.

   Similardistinguish, discriminate, discern, tell

   Oppositeconflate

   Note

   Its natural opposite is conflate. To differentiate two things is to refuse to blur them into one; to conflate them is to let them merge. The verb takes a direct object followed by from, as in a fake smile from a genuine one. Its subject is an observer, someone with a trained eye or palate.

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To show, or to be, what makes one thing different from another.

   Its rounded leaves differentiate this maple from similar species.

   Subtle pricing differentiates the premium model from the standard one.

   Similardistinguish, separate

   Note

   Here the subject is the feature, not the person noticing: rounded leaves, taste, a price. The pattern is X differentiates A from B, and the question What differentiates an alligator from a crocodile? is typical. When a person does the telling apart, the verb has moved to the "recognize" meaning. When a quality does it, it stays here.

3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To perceive the difference between things and tell them apart.

   Trained sommeliers can differentiate between subtle regional variations in wine.

   The instrument differentiates between healthy and damaged tissue.

   Similardistinguish, discriminate

   Note

   The same act of telling apart, but without a direct object: the verb is followed by between. In New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), a verdict should "differentiate between compensatory and punitive damages." Discriminate is a near synonym here, in its neutral sense of perceiving distinctions. This between pattern is the safe choice when neither item is singled out.

4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To change something so that it becomes different or distinct.

   Brands differentiate their offerings through packaging and marketing.

   Engineers differentiated the new engine with a lighter frame.

   Similardistinguish, individualize

   Oppositestandardize

   Note

   A verb built straight from a noun: New Latin differentiātus, from Latin differentia, "difference," so at root it means to make a difference in the literal sense. The change is imposed, and the thing changed is the object. Linguists use it for words that split apart. John Earle, in 1873, describes then being differentiated into the two forms then and than.

5. 5
   verbtransitive or intransitive

   To undergo the developmental process called differentiation, becoming different in form or function, or to cause a cell to undergo it.

   During early development, embryonic cells differentiate into the body's many tissue types.

   Specific growth factors differentiate the precursor cells into neurons.

   Similarspecialize

   Note

   Biology's sense, and very often passive: cells are differentiated from germ cells. Used actively, cells differentiate from a precursor and into a tissue. From names the starting cell and into names the end state, as when osteoclasts differentiate from macrophages. Specialize is the near synonym. A differentiated cell has taken on particular structure and function through regulated changes in gene expression.

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   In calculus, to find the derivative of a function.

   To find the curve's slope, differentiate the function with respect to x.

   She differentiated the polynomial to locate its turning points.

   Oppositeintegrate

   Note

   The calculus sense, and the name fits: a derivative is the limit of a difference quotient, so the Latin "difference" is still at work inside the verb. Differentiating produces a derivative, a new function giving the original's instantaneous rate of change at each point. The process itself is differentiation. The usual phrasing names the variable: differentiate with respect to x.

7. 7
   verbtransitive

   In calculus, to find the differential of a function of several variables.

   To find the total change, differentiate the function of several variables.

   She differentiated the multivariable expression to obtain its total differential.

   Oppositeintegrate

   Note

   Calculus in several variables has its own product: the total differential. It is the sum of a function's partial derivatives, each multiplied by the small change in its own variable, and it records how the whole function shifts when every input moves at once. The difference from the derivative sense lies in that output: a differential here, a derivative there.

8. 8
   verbintransitive

   In teaching, to present a lesson in several different ways to meet the needs of students at different levels.

   Experienced teachers differentiate to reach learners across a wide range of abilities.

   When a class spans several reading levels, skilled instructors differentiate accordingly.

   Note

   A classroom term, usually used without an object: teachers simply differentiate, or differentiate instruction. They adjust content, process or assessment so that students at different levels can all reach the material. The related noun differentiation names the practice. Carol Tomlinson, an education professor quoted in 2012, said that when it works, "it's like a jazz rhythm," a mix of art and science.

9. 9
   nouncountable

   A body of rock or material that has been differentiated or stratified into distinct parts.

   The granite represents a late differentiate of a slowly cooling magma body.

   Field mapping revealed several differentiates within the layered intrusion.

   Note

   A noun from the petrologist's toolkit: a rock or magma fraction separated out of a once-uniform parent magma by processes such as fractional crystallization or settling. It is countable, and its plural differentiates is spelled exactly like the verb's third-person form, so context decides. A magma exhibits differentiates, while a process differentiates a magma.

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