differential
Pronunciation: /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃ(ə)l/
chiefly technical
adjective
- of, showing, or depending on a difference; varying according to circumstances or relevant factors: the differential achievements of boys and girls
- constituting a specific difference; distinctive: the differential features between benign and malignant tumours
- Mathematics relating to infinitesimal differences or to the derivatives of functions.
- relating to a difference in a physical quantity: a differential amplifier
noun
- a difference between amounts of things: the differential between petrol and diesel prices
- British a difference in wages between industries or between categories of employees in the same industry: regional differentials in pay
- Mathematics an infinitesimal difference between successive values of a variable.
- (also differential gear) a gear allowing a vehicle’s driven wheels to revolve at different speeds in cornering.
Origin:
mid 17th century: from medieval Latin differentialis, from Latin differentia 'difference' (see differentia)