different between distinguish vs label

English

Etymology

From Middle English distingwen, from Old French distinguer, from Latin distinguere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, set off, adorn, literally mark off”), from di-, dis- (“apart”) + stinguere. Compare extinguish.

Pronunciation

• enPR: d?s-t?ng?gw?sh, IPA^(key): /d?s?t???w??/
• Rhymes: -???w??
• Hyphenation: dis?tin?guish

Verb

distinguish (third-person singular simple present distinguishes, present participle distinguishing, simple past and past participle distinguished)

1. To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.

   Synonyms: differentiate, discriminate; see also Thesaurus:tell apart

   Antonym: confuse
2. To see someone or something clearly or distinctly.
3. To make oneself noticeably different or better from others through accomplishments.
   • 1784: William Jones, The Description and Use of a New Portable Orrery, &c., PREFACE

     THE favourable reception the Orrery has met with from Per?ons of the fir?t di?tinction, and from Gentlemen and Ladies in general, has induced me to add to it ?everal new improvements in order to give it a degree of Perfection; and di?tingui?h it from others; which by Piracy, or Imitation, may be introduced to the Public.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To make to differ.

Usage notes

In sense “see a difference”, more casual than differentiate or the formal discriminate; more casual is “tell the difference”.

Derived terms

• distinguished
• distinguishable
• distinguishing
• distinguishness
• undistinguishing

Related terms

• distinct
• distinction
• extinguish

Translations

Further reading

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

English

Alternative forms

• labell (non-standard)

Etymology

From Middle English label (“narrow band, strip of cloth”), from Old French label, lambel (Modern French lambeau), from Frankish *lapp? (“torn piece of cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *lapp?, *lappô (“cloth stuff, rag, scraps, flap, dewlap, lobe, rabbit ear”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“blade”). Cognate with Old High German lappa (“rag, piece of cloth”), Old English læppa (“skirt, flap of a garment”). More at lap.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?le?b?l/
• Rhymes: -e?b?l

Noun

label (plural labels)

1. A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.

   Synonyms: sign, tag, ticket

2. A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.

   Synonyms: category, pigeonhole

4. (music) A company that sells records.

   Synonym: record label

5. (computing) A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.

6. (computing) A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.
7. (heraldry) A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.

   Synonym: lambel

8. (obsolete) A tassel.

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

   • 1662, Thomas Fuller, History of the Worthies of England

     the arms or escutcheon of France , hanging by a label on an oak

9. A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.
10. A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes.

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

11. (architecture) The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.
12. In mediaeval art, the representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.

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

13. (graphical user interface) A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.

Derived terms

• designer label
• record label

Descendants

Translations

Verb

label (third-person singular simple present labels, present participle (UK) labelling or (US) labeling, simple past and past participle (UK) labelled or (US) labeled)

1. (transitive) To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something).

   The shop assistant labeled all the products in the shop.

2. (ditransitive) To give a label to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing.

   He's been unfairly labeled as a cheat, although he's only ever cheated once.
3. (biochemistry) To replace specific atoms by their isotope in order to track the presence or movement of this isotope through a reaction, metabolic pathway or cell.
4. (biochemistry) To add a detectable substance, either transiently or permanently, to a biological substance in order to track the presence of the label-substance combination either in situ or in vitro
   • 2015, "Protein binder woes" (editorial), Nature Methods, 12(5) (May): 373.

     They may be used to label and image a protein within tissue, to isolate cells on the basis of marker expression, or to physically capture a protein from a complex biological mixture....

Synonyms

• (put a ticket or sign on): tag, price
• (give a label to in order to categorise): categorise, compartmentalise, peg, pigeonhole; see also Thesaurus:classify

Translations

References

• label in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• label in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• (projecting moulding in architecture): Dictionary of Architecture (Architectural Publication Society of London)

Anagrams

• Abell, Beall, Bella, be-all

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English label.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?le?b?l/

Noun

label n (plural labels, diminutive labeltje n)

1. quality label

   Max Havelaar is het bekendste fair-tradelabel.

   Max Havelaar is the most well-known fair-trade label.

2. music label

Anagrams

• balle

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English label, itself from Old French label, lambel (“fringe, strip”), 1899.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.b?l/

Noun

label m (plural labels)

1. quality label
2. (music) record label

Derived terms

• labelliser

Further reading

• “label” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• balle

Old French

Alternative forms

• lambeau
• lambel

Noun

label m (oblique plural labeaus or labeax or labiaus or labiax or labels, nominative singular labeaus or labeax or labiaus or labiax or labels, nominative plural label)

1. strip of fabric
2. badge; insignia

   Les armes son pere a label portoit

   His weapons bore the insignia of his father

Descendants

• ? English: label
  • ? French: label
• French: lambeau

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English label.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?j.b?l/

Noun

label m inan

1. music label

Declension

Synonyms

• wytwórnia
• wytwórnia p?ytowa