# distinct

Pronunciation: say "di-STINGKT" /dɪˈstɪŋkt/

## Adjective

1. Different from one another, typically paired with the preposition "from."
   - Simple: Not the same as something else, but clearly different.
   - _The committee found the two proposals distinct from each other in scope and budget._
   - _In biology, a subspecies remains distinct from its parent population until interbreeding resumes._
2. Noticeably different from others; distinctive.
   - Simple: Easy to notice because it is not like the others.
   - _Her paintings have a distinct style that critics recognize instantly._
   - _The town has a distinct character shaped by its fishing history._
3. Able to be perceived very clearly.
   - Simple: Clear and easy to see, hear, or feel.
   - _Through the clearing fog, the lighthouse became distinct against the sky._
   - _The recording captured a distinct hum beneath the music._
4. Separate in place; not joined or united with another, used with "from."
   - Simple: Kept apart and not joined to something else.
   - _The estate is divided into three distinct parcels, each with its own gate._
   - _In the museum, the two collections are kept distinct from one another._

## Adjective

5. Distinguished and marked out by a visible sign; specified. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Marked out clearly by a visible sign so it stands apart.
6. Marked or variegated in coloring. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Covered with marks or many different colors.
   - _The meadow lay distinct with wildflowers of every hue after the rains._
   - _The serpent's scales were distinct with bands of green and amber._

## Verb

7. To distinguish; to make a distinction between things. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To tell one thing apart from another.
   - _A wise judge must distinct the guilty from the merely accused._
   - _Few could distinct the master's hand from that of his pupils._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English distincte, borrowed through Old French from Latin distinctus, the past participle of distinguere ("to distinguish").

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