different between difference vs size

English

Etymology

From Middle English difference, from Old French difference, from Latin differentia (“difference”), from differ?ns (“different”), present participle of differre. Doublet of differentia.

Morphologically differ +? -ence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?d?f??n(t)s/
• (rare) IPA^(key): /?d?f???n(t)s/
• Hyphenation: diffe?rence, dif?fer?ence

Noun

difference (countable and uncountable, plural differences)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being different.

   Antonyms: identity, sameness

2. (countable) A characteristic of something that makes it different from something else.

3. (countable) A disagreement or argument.

   We have our little differences, but we are firm friends.

   • 1714, Thomas Ellwood, The History of the Life of Thomas Ellwood: written by his own hand

     Away therefore went I with the constable, leaving the old warden and the young constable to compose their difference as they could.

4. (countable, uncountable) Significant change in or effect on a situation or state.
   • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

     The line of the horizon was clear and hard against the sky, and in one particular quarter it showed black against a silvery climbing phosphorescence that grew and grew. At last, over the rim of the waiting earth the moon lifted with slow majesty till it swung clear of the horizon and rode off, free of moorings; and once more they began to see surfaces—meadows wide-spread, and quiet gardens, and the river itself from bank to bank, all softly disclosed, all washed clean of mystery and terror, all radiant again as by day, but with a difference that was tremendous.

6. (countable) The result of a subtraction; sometimes the absolute value of this result.

   The difference between 3 and 21 is 18.

7. (obsolete) Choice; preference.
8. (heraldry) An addition to a coat of arms to distinguish two people's bearings which would otherwise be the same. See augmentation and cadency.
9. (logic) The quality or attribute which is added to those of the genus to constitute a species; a differentia.
10. (logic circuits) A Boolean operation which is TRUE when the two input variables are different but is otherwise FALSE; the XOR operation (${\displaystyle \scriptstyle A{\overline {B}}+{\overline {A}}B}$).
11. (relational algebra) the set of elements that are in one set but not another (${\displaystyle \scriptstyle A{\overline {B}}}$).

Synonyms

• (characteristic of something that makes it different from something else): departure, deviation, divergence, disparity
• (disagreement or argument about something important): conflict, difference of opinion, dispute, dissension
• (result of a subtraction): remainder
• (significant change in state): nevermind

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• addition, summation: (augend) + (addend) = (summand) + (summand) = (sum, total)
• subtraction: (minuend) ? (subtrahend) = (difference)
• multiplication: (multiplier) × (multiplicand) = (factor) × (factor) = (product)
• division: (dividend) ÷ (divisor) = (quotient), remainder left over if divisor does not divide dividend

Verb

difference (third-person singular simple present differences, present participle differencing, simple past and past participle differenced)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To distinguish or differentiate.
   • 1672 Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions

     This simple spectation of the lungs is differenced from that which concomitates a pleurisy.

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Synonyms

• (to distinguish or differentiate): differentiate, distinguish

Translations

Related terms

Further reading

• difference in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• difference in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• differens, defference, defferense, dyfferens

Etymology

From Old French difference, from Latin differ?ntia; equivalent to differren (“to postpone”) +? -ence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?dif?r?ns(?)/, /di?f?r?ns(?)/

Noun

difference (plural differences or difference)

1. Difference; the state of being different.
2. A difference; an element which separates.
3. Distinguishment; the finding or creation of dissimilarity.
4. (heraldry, rare) A heraldic cadency for a family's junior branch.
5. (mathematics, rare) The result of subtraction; an amount left over.
6. (mathematics, rare) An order in decimal representation of numbers.
7. (rare) Something that people do not agree upon.

Descendants

• English: difference
• Scots: difference

References

• “difference, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-07-31.

Old French

Alternative forms

• differance

Etymology

From Latin differentia.

Noun

difference f (oblique plural differences, nominative singular difference, nominative plural differences)

1. difference

Descendants

• ? Middle English: difference, differens, defference, defferense, dyfferens
  • English: difference
  • Scots: difference
• French: différence

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa?z/
• Rhymes: -a?z
• Homophones: psis, sighs

Etymology 1

From Middle English syse, sise (“regulation, control, limit”), from Old French cise, sise, aphetism of assise (“assize”). Displaced native Middle English grete, grette (“size”) (from Old English gr?etu, gr?tu (“size, greatness”)).

Noun

size (countable and uncountable, plural sizes)

1. (obsolete outside dialects) An assize. [from 14th c.]
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, page 560:

     I know you would have women above the law, but it is all a lye; I heard his lordship say at size, that no one is above the law.

2. (obsolete) A regulation determining the amount of money paid in fees, taxes etc. [14th-18th c.]
3. (obsolete) A fixed standard for the magnitude, quality, quantity etc. of goods, especially food and drink. [15th-17th c.]
4. The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is. [from 15th c.]

5. (obsolete) A regulation, piece of ordinance. [15th c.]
6. A specific set of dimensions for a manufactured article, especially clothing. [from 16th c.]

7. (graph theory) A number of edges in a graph. [from 20th c.]
8. (figuratively, dated) Degree of rank, ability, character, etc.
   • 1692, Roger L'Estrange, Fables of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists

     men of a less size and quality

   • 1720, Jonathan Swift, A Letter to a Young Clergyman

     the middle or lower size of people

9. An instrument consisting of a number of perforated gauges fastened together at one end by a rivet, used for measuring the size of pearls.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

10. (computing) file size

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:size

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Chinese:
  • ? Cantonese: size (saai1 si2)
• ? Irish: saghas
• ? Japanese: ??? (saizu)
• ? Korean: ??? (saijeu)

Translations

Verb

size (third-person singular simple present sizes, present participle sizing, simple past and past participle sized)

1. (transitive) To adjust the size of; to make a certain size.

   • a statute […] to size weights, and measures

2. (transitive) To classify or arrange by size.
   1. (military) To take the height of men, in order to place them in the ranks according to their stature.
   2. (mining) To sift (pieces of ore or metal) in order to separate the finer from the coarser parts.
3. (transitive, colloquial) To approximate the dimensions, estimate the size of.
4. (intransitive) To take a greater size; to increase in size.
   • after 1633 (first published), John Donne, Farewell to Love

     Our desires give them fashion, and so, / As they wax lesser, fall, as they size, grow.

5. (Britain, Cambridge University, obsolete) To order food or drink from the buttery; hence, to enter a score, as upon the buttery book.
6. (transitive, obsolete) To swell; to increase the bulk of.

   • blood-sized field

Hyponyms

• (to adjust size): resize

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English syse, of unclear origin; related to Old Italian sisa (“a glue used by painters”), perhaps ultimately related to size / syse (“amount”), or perhaps shortened from assisa, from assiso (“to make to sit, to seat, to place”)

Noun

size (plural sizes)

2. A thin, weak glue used as primer for paper or canvas intended to be painted upon.
3. Wallpaper paste.
4. The thickened crust on coagulated blood.
5. Any viscous substance, such as gilder's varnish.

Translations

Verb

size (third-person singular simple present sizes, present participle sizing, simple past and past participle sized)

1. (transitive) To apply glue or other primer to a surface which is to be painted.

Translations

References

See also

• Size in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Chinese

Alternative forms

• ??, ??

Etymology

Borrowed from English size.

Pronunciation

Noun

size

1. (Cantonese) size

   • ???????????????size????????????????????????????????size? [Cantonese, trad.]
     ???????????????size????????????????????????????????size? [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015, ???, ??? ???, ?????, issue 40, page 79

     jau⁵ jat¹ go³ so⁴ zai² zeng⁶ jan⁴ sin¹ jung⁶ sing^4-2 dok⁶ zi⁶ gei² goek³ dik¹ saai¹ si², jau⁵ jat¹ jat⁶ soeng² maai⁵ haai⁴, bat¹ gwo³ heoi³ dou³ si⁵ zaap⁶ sin¹ faat³ jin⁶ zi⁶ gei² mou⁵ daai³ tiu⁴ sing^4-2, so² ji⁵ m⁴ zi¹ maai⁵ haai⁴ maai⁵ me¹ saai¹ si². [Jyutping]

     There was a stupid guy from Zheng who used only a string to measure the size of his feet; one day, he wanted to buy shoes, but only when he got to the market did he realize that he didn't bring his string, so he didn't know what shoe size to buy.

   • ??????????????????size??? [Cantonese, trad.]
     ???????????????“??size??” [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, Jerald Li, ??????size??15?????size??

     ging¹ soeng⁴ zoi⁶ mong⁵ soeng⁶ gin³ dou^3-2 jau⁵ jan⁴ man⁶ sam⁶ mo¹ bo¹ haai⁴ jing¹ “maai⁵ me¹ saai¹ si² hou²?” [Jyutping]

     I always see people online asking something like "What size should I buy?" for sneakers

   • ?????size???????? [Cantonese, trad.]
     ?????size???????? [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, ??? (Daniel Chong), ????CEO, page 104

     daai³ zyu⁶ deoi³ m⁴ ngaam¹ saai¹ si² ge³ baak⁶ sik¹ lou⁴ gung¹ sau² tou³ zai² [Jyutping]

     wearing white workers' gloves of the wrong size

Synonyms

• ?? (ch?cùn)

Turkish

Pronoun

size

1. dative of siz (you – plural or polite)

Turkmen

Noun

size

1. dative plural of siz