# discrete

Pronunciation: say "di-SKREET" /dɪˈskɹiːt/

## Adjective

1. Separate and distinct from one another, existing as individual units rather than as parts of a continuous or connected whole.
   - Simple: Separate from the others and not joined to them, so each one stands on its own.
   - _The course is divided into discrete modules that students can take in any order._
   - _The colors of a rainbow blend into one another instead of forming discrete bands._
2. Consisting of, or allowing only, separate values taken from a countable set, finite or infinite, rather than from a continuous range.
   - Simple: In math, made up of separate values that can be counted one by one.
   - _Shoe sizes form a discrete scale, while the length of a foot is continuous._
   - _The model replaces the integral with a discrete sum over the sampled points._
3. Obsolete form of discreet, still common today as a misspelling of it. *(nonstandard)* — Obsolete form of discreet.
   - Simple: Obsolete form of discreet. People still often write it by mistake, but the correct spelling for this meaning is discreet.
4. Built from separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors, rather than from integrated circuitry.
   - Simple: Made with separate electronic parts, not with one chip that holds them all.
   - _The amplifier uses a fully discrete design, with no integrated circuits anywhere in the signal path._
   - _The repair was easy because the old power supply was discrete, and each part could be replaced on its own._
5. Describing a topological space, or its topology, in which every one-point subset is an open set.
   - Simple: In math, describes a space where every single point, taken alone, is an open set.
   - _Every function from a discrete space into another topological space is continuous._
   - _The integers, with the topology they inherit from the real line, form a discrete space._
6. Having separate and independent audio channels, rather than multiplexed stereo, quadraphonic or other multichannel sound.
   - Simple: With each sound channel kept fully separate, not combined into one signal with the others.
   - _The concert film was released with a discrete surround mix, giving every speaker its own independent channel._
   - _Engineers preferred discrete recordings because multiplexed formats let sound from one channel bleed into another._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Disjunctive in form, containing a disjunctive or discretive clause that sets one term apart from or against another.

## Origin

Latin discernō ("divide"), made of dis- and cernō ("sift"), had the past participle discrētus. That gave Old French discret, the source of the English word, which is a doublet of discreet.

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