Word: differentiate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin differō Latin differēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin differentia New Latin differentiō New Latin differentiātusbor. English differentiate From New Latin differentiātus, perfect passive participle of differentiō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from Latin differentia (“difference”); see difference. Pronunciation: /dɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/, /ˌdɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/, /dɪf.əˈɹen.ʃi.æɪt/, /dəf.əˈɹen.ʃi.æɪt/ 1. To modify so as to create a difference or distinction. Labels: transitive Example: A humble instance of Ablaut may be quoted which took place in the seventeenth century, when the word then was differentiated into the two forms then and than. 2. To show or be the difference or distinction between things. Labels: transitive Example: What differentiates an alligator from a crocodile? Example: Taste differentiates a gentleman—for instance, Mr. Addison—from a Hottentot or Laplander. 3. To recognize as different or distinct. Labels: transitive Example: How do you differentiate a fake smile from a genuine one? Example: In the earlier chapters uncouth proper names are reduced to a minimum, but the Index refers by name to specific places and persons only generally mentioned in the earlier pages. For instance, the states of Lu and Chêng on pages 22 and 29 : it is hard enough to differentiate Ts‘i, Tsin, Ts‘in, and Ts‘u at the outstart, without crowding the memory with fresh names until the necessity for it absolutely arises. 4. To calculate the derivative of a function. Labels: transitive 5. To calculate the differential of a function of multiple variables. Labels: transitive 6. To perceive the difference between things; to discriminate. Labels: intransitive Example: he refused to instruct that actual intent to harm or recklessness had to be found before punitive damages could be awarded, or that a verdict for respondent should differentiate between compensatory and punitive damages. 7. To teach a lesson in multiple different ways in order to meet the needs of more or less advanced students. Labels: intransitive Example: Like most teaching, differentiating is a mix of art and science. When it works, "it's like a jazz rhythm," said Carol Tomlinson, an education professor at the University of Virginia and an expert on differentiation. Example: Moreover, children of STIP-teachers who showed many types of differentiation activities learnt more than children of STIP-teachers who differentiated less. 8. To (cause to) go through a process of development called differentiation; to make or become different in form or function. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: In Chapter IV we learned that every animal consists of a body, or soma, formed of cells that are differentiated from the germ cells usually at an early stage of development. Example: Osteoblasts are derived from stromal cells, a type of connective tissue cell in the bone marrow, whereas osteoclasts differentiate from macrophages, which are tissue-bound derivatives of monocytes, a type of white blood cell (see p. 402).