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differentiate

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Definition of differentiate

verb

[with object]
  • 1recognize or ascertain what makes (someone or something) different:children can differentiate the past from the present
  • [no object] (differentiate between) identify differences between (two or more things or people):he is unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality
  • make (someone or something) appear different or distinct:little now differentiates the firm’s products from its rivals
  • 2 technical make or become different in the process of growth or development: [with object]:the receptors are developed and differentiated into sense organs [no object]:the cells differentiate into a wide variety of cell types
  • 3 Mathematics transform (a function) into its derivative.

Derivatives

differentiator

noun

Origin:

early 19th century: from medieval Latin differentiat- 'carried away from', from the verb differentiare, from differentia (see differentia)

differentiate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of differentiate in the US English dictionary
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