different between distinguish vs number
distinguish
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)
- To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.
- Synonyms: differentiate, discriminate; see also Thesaurus:tell apart
- Antonym: confuse
- To see someone or something clearly or distinctly.
- 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.
- 1784: William Jones, The Description and Use of a New Portable Orrery, &c., PREFACE
- (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.
distinguish From the web:
- what distinguishes atherosclerosis from arteriosclerosis
- what distinguishes mass from weight
- what distinguishes one element from another
- what distinguishes rainforests from temperate forests
- what distinguishes a substance from a mixture
- what distinguishes bacteria from archaea
- what distinguishes a neutral atom from an ion
- what distinguishes the savanna and grassland biomes
number
English
Alternative forms
- nummer (dialectal)
- numbre (obsolete)
Etymology 1
From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, from Anglo-Norman noumbre, Old French nombre, from Latin numerus (“number”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to divide”). Compare Saterland Frisian Nummer, Nuumer, West Frisian nûmer, Dutch nummer (“number”), German Nummer (“number”), Danish nummer (“number”), Swedish nummer (“number”), Icelandic númer (“number”). Replaced Middle English ?etæl and rime, more at tell, tale and rhyme.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: n?m?b?r, IPA(key): /?n?mb?/
- (General American) enPR: n?m?b?r, IPA(key): /?n?mb?/
- Rhymes: -?mb?(?)
- Hyphenation: num?ber
Noun
number (plural numbers)
- (countable) An abstract entity used to describe quantity.
- (countable) A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer.
- Synonyms: scalar, (obsolete) rime
- (countable, mathematics) An element of one of several sets: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, and sometimes extensions such as hypercomplex numbers, etc.
- (Followed by a numeral; used attributively) Indicating the position of something in a list or sequence. Abbreviations: No or No., no or no. (in each case, sometimes written with a superscript "o", like Nº or ?). The symbol "#" is also used in this manner.
- Quantity.
- 1625, Francis Bacon, Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates
- Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage.
- 1625, Francis Bacon, Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates
- A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.
- (countable, informal) A telephone number.
- 2001, E. Forrest Hein, The Ruach Project, Xulon Press, page 86:
- “[...] I wonder if you could get hold of him and have him call me here at Interior. I’m in my office, do you have my number?”
- 2007, Lindsey Nicole Isham, No Sex in the City: One Virgin's Confessions on Love, Lust, Dating, and Waiting, Kregel Publications, page 111:
- When I agreed to go surfing with him he said, “Great, can I have your number?” Well, I don’t give my number to guys I don’t know.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- Marsha's work number is 555-8986.
- Marsha's work number is 555-8986.
- 2001, E. Forrest Hein, The Ruach Project, Xulon Press, page 86:
- (grammar) Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.
- Synonym: numeral
- (now rare, in the plural) Poetic metres; verses, rhymes.
- (countable) A performance; especially, a single song or song and dance routine within a larger show.
- (countable, informal) A person.
- 1968, Janet Burroway, The dancer from the dance: a novel, Little, Brown, page 40:
- I laughed. "Don't doubt that. She's a saucy little number."
- 1988, Erica Jong, Serenissima, Dell, page 214:
- "Signorina Jessica," says the maid, a saucy little number, "your father has gone to his prayers and demands that you come to the synagogue at once [...]"
- 2005, Denise A. Agnew, Kate Hill & Arianna Hart, By Honor Bound, Ellora's Cave Publishing, page 207:
- He had to focus on the mission, staying alive and getting out, not on the sexy number rubbing up against him.
- 1968, Janet Burroway, The dancer from the dance: a novel, Little, Brown, page 40:
- (countable, informal) An item of clothing, particularly a stylish one.
- 2007, Cesca Martin, Agony Angel: So You Think You've Got Problems..., Troubador Publishing Ltd, page 134:
- The trouble was I was wearing my backless glittering number from the night before underneath, so unless I could persuade the office it was National Fancy Dress Day I was doomed to sweat profusely in bottle blue.
- 2007, Lorelei James, Running with the Devil, Samhain Publishing, Ltd, page 46:
- "I doubt the sexy number you wore earlier tonight fell from the sky."
- 2007, Cesca Martin, Agony Angel: So You Think You've Got Problems..., Troubador Publishing Ltd, page 134:
- (slang, chiefly US) A marijuana cigarette, or joint; also, a quantity of marijuana bought form a dealer.
- 2009, Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice, Vintage 2010, page 12:
- Back at his place again, Doc rolled a number, put on a late movie, found an old T-shirt, and sat tearing it up into short strips […]
- 2009, Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice, Vintage 2010, page 12:
- (dated) An issue of a periodical publication.
- the latest number of a magazine
- A large amount, in contrast to a smaller amount; numerical preponderance.
- 1980, May 10, Al King "Braves travel to New England with reputation", The Indiana Gazette
- Despite last week's woes, the Braves still sport numbers that would make Christie Brinkley blush.
- 1980, May 10, Al King "Braves travel to New England with reputation", The Indiana Gazette
- (informal, always indefinite) A large amount of damage
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Translations
Verb
number (third-person singular simple present numbers, present participle numbering, simple past and past participle numbered)
- (transitive) To label (items) with numbers; to assign numbers to (items).
- Number the baskets so that we can find them easily.
- (intransitive) To total or count; to amount to.
- I don’t know how many books are in the library, but they must number in the thousands.
See also
- (grammatical numbers): singular, dual, trial, quadral, paucal, plural
References
- number on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Derived terms
- number among
Translations
See also
- Wiktionary’s Appendix of numbers
Etymology 2
From numb + -er.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: n?m'?, IPA(key): /?n?m?/
- (US): enPR: n?m'?r, IPA(key): /?n?m?/
- Hyphenation: num?ber
Adjective
number
- comparative form of numb: more numb
Anagrams
- numbre, renumb
Estonian
Etymology
From German Nummer. The added -b- is analoguous to kamber and klamber.
Noun
number (genitive numbri, partitive numbrit)
- number
Declension
Middle English
Noun
number
- Alternative form of nombre
Papiamentu
Etymology
From English number.
An analogy of the Papiamentu word nòmber "name".
Noun
number
- number
number From the web:
- what number president is trump
- what number president was abraham lincoln
- what number is december
- what numbers are prime
- what number was kobe bryant
- what number is january
- what number president is donald trump
- what number day of the year is it
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