differentiate

verb

• 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.