Meaning of "distinguish" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DISTINGUISH

From Latin distinguere to separate, discriminate.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF DISTINGUISH

distinguish  [dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DISTINGUISH

Distinguish is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb distinguish in English.

WHAT DOES DISTINGUISH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Distinguishing

In law, to distinguish a case means a court decides the holding or legal reasoning of a precedent case will not apply due to materially different facts between the two cases. There are two formal constraints on the later court: the factors in the ratio of the earlier case must be retained in formulating the ratio of the later case, and the ruling in the later case must still support the result reached in the precedent case. The ruling made by the judge must be based around not only the evidence they are faced with, but the precedents in which they must follow. This means that a precedent will be dealt to a case with similar facts, in which a decision can then be distinguished based upon this.

Definition of distinguish in the English dictionary

The first definition of distinguish in the dictionary is when intr, foll by between or among to make, show, or recognize a difference or differences ; differentiate. Other definition of distinguish is to be a distinctive feature of; characterize. Distinguish is also to make out; perceive.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO DISTINGUISH

PRESENT

Present

I distinguish

you distinguish

he/she/it distinguishes

we distinguish

you distinguish

they distinguish

Present continuous

I am distinguishing

you are distinguishing

he/she/it is distinguishing

we are distinguishing

you are distinguishing

they are distinguishing

Present perfect

I have distinguished

you have distinguished

he/she/it has distinguished

we have distinguished

you have distinguished

they have distinguished

Present perfect continuous

I have been distinguishing

you have been distinguishing

he/she/it has been distinguishing

we have been distinguishing

you have been distinguishing

they have been distinguishing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I distinguished

you distinguished

he/she/it distinguished

we distinguished

you distinguished

they distinguished

Past continuous

I was distinguishing

you were distinguishing

he/she/it was distinguishing

we were distinguishing

you were distinguishing

they were distinguishing

Past perfect

I had distinguished

you had distinguished

he/she/it had distinguished

we had distinguished

you had distinguished

they had distinguished

Past perfect continuous

I had been distinguishing

you had been distinguishing

he/she/it had been distinguishing

we had been distinguishing

you had been distinguishing

they had been distinguishing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will distinguish

you will distinguish

he/she/it will distinguish

we will distinguish

you will distinguish

they will distinguish

Future continuous

I will be distinguishing

you will be distinguishing

he/she/it will be distinguishing

we will be distinguishing

you will be distinguishing

they will be distinguishing

Future perfect

I will have distinguished

you will have distinguished

he/she/it will have distinguished

we will have distinguished

you will have distinguished

they will have distinguished

Future perfect continuous

I will have been distinguishing

you will have been distinguishing

he/she/it will have been distinguishing

we will have been distinguishing

you will have been distinguishing

they will have been distinguishing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would distinguish

you would distinguish

he/she/it would distinguish

we would distinguish

you would distinguish

they would distinguish

Conditional continuous

I would be distinguishing

you would be distinguishing

he/she/it would be distinguishing

we would be distinguishing

you would be distinguishing

they would be distinguishing

Conditional perfect

I would have distinguish

you would have distinguish

he/she/it would have distinguish

we would have distinguish

you would have distinguish

they would have distinguish

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been distinguishing

you would have been distinguishing

he/she/it would have been distinguishing

we would have been distinguishing

you would have been distinguishing

they would have been distinguishing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you distinguish
we let´s distinguish
you distinguish

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to distinguish

Past participle

distinguished

Present Participle

distinguishing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «DISTINGUISH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «distinguish» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of distinguish

ascertain · celebrate · characterize · decide · determine · differentiate · dignify · discern · discriminate · glimpse · honour · identify · immortalize · individualize · judge · know · make out · mark · perceive · pick out · recognize · see · separate · signalize · spot · tell · tell apart

TRANSLATION OF DISTINGUISH

Find out the translation of distinguish to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of distinguish from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «distinguish» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 辨别
• Translator English - Spanish: distinguir
• English: distinguish
• Translator English - Hindi: भेद
• Translator English - Arabic: يُـمَيِّزُ
• Translator English - Russian: отличать
• Translator English - Portuguese: distinguir
• Translator English - Bengali: distinguee
• Translator English - French: distinguer
• Translator English - Malay: Distinguee
• Translator English - German: unterscheiden
• Translator English - Japanese: 区別する
• Translator English - Korean: 구별하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Distinguee
• Translator English - Vietnamese: phân biệt
• Translator English - Tamil: distinguee
• Translator English - Marathi: डस्टीएने
• Translator English - Turkish: distinguee
• Translator English - Italian: distinguere
• Translator English - Polish: odróżnić
• Translator English - Ukrainian: розрізняти
• Translator English - Romanian: a distinge
• Translator English - Greek: ξεχωρίζω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: onderskei
• Translator English - Swedish: särskilja
• Translator English - Norwegian: skjelne

10 QUOTES WITH «DISTINGUISH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word distinguish.

1

Mortimer Adler

In English we must use adjectives to distinguish the different kinds of love for which the ancients had distinct names.

2

Samuel Alexander

In the perception of a tree we can distinguish the act of experiencing, or perceiving, from the thing experienced, or perceived.

3

Charles Babbage

There are few circumstances which so strongly distinguish the philosopher, as the calmness with which he can reply to criticisms he may think undeservedly severe.

4

Pierre Beaumarchais

Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love at all seasons, madam: that is all there is to distinguish us from other animals.

5

Hans Berger

The electroencephalogram represents a continuous curve with continuous oscillations in which... one can distinguish larger first order waves with an average duration of 90 milliseconds and smaller second order waves of an average duration of 35 milliseconds.

6

Andrew J. Bernstein

We need to distinguish between stress and stimulation. Having deadlines, setting goals, and pushing yourself to perform at capacity are stimulating. Stress is when you're anxious, upset, or frustrated, which dramatically reduce your ability to perform.

7

Heather Bresch

I'd like to believe that achieving a leadership position is all about competency, capability and ambition, so I try not to distinguish between the sexes when it comes to giving career advice.

8

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Taste, which enables us to distinguish all that has a flavor from that which is insipid.

9

John Byng

Falling little wind, it was five before I could form my line, or distinguish any of the enemy's motions; and could not judge at all of their force, more than by numbers, which were seventeen, and thirteen appeared large.

10

Stokely Carmichael

Leaders in Africa are so corrupt that we are certain if we put dogs in uniforms and put guns on their shoulders, we'd be hard put to distinguish them.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DISTINGUISH»

Discover the use of distinguish in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to distinguish and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

How to Distinguish the Saints in Art by Their Costumes, ...

This is a new release of the original 1925 edition.

Arthur de Bles, 2013

Poised for Success: Mastering the Four Qualities That ...

In POISED FOR SUCCESS, Jacqueline Whitmore states that good business etiquette is important, but she also knows that there is more to becoming invaluable at work than simply mastering good behavior.

Jacqueline Whitmore, 2011

Leaders Distinguish Themselves During Tough Times: Lesson 15 ...

After nearly forty years of leading, Maxwell has mined the gold so you don’t have to. Each chapter contains detailed application exercises and a “Mentoring Moment” for leaders who desire to mentor others using the book.

John Maxwell, 2012

Good Spirits, Bad Spirits: How to Distinguish Between Them

Devil's advocacy against 1) claims of crossing over to the other side after death, 2) the possibility of contacting God through channeling and 3) the possibility of "good" wizardry.

Sue Lim, 2002

How to Win a Pitch: The Five Fundamentals That Will ...

How to Win a Pitch will help you learn how to: -Develop presentations that win contracts.

Joey Asher, 2008

The Ability of Young Children to Distinguish Between ...

Diploma Thesis from the year 2001 in the subject Psychology - Developmental Psychology, grade: 1,0, Free University of Berlin, 95 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In this diploma thesis I want to consider several ...

Joerg Boettcher, 2013

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms that Distinguish the ...

Women have a higher prevalence for Alzheimer's disease (AD) than men, suggesting that the precipitous decline in gonadal hormone levels following the menopause may contribute to the risk of developing AD. However, principal results from the ...

Paramjit Kaur, 2006

Our Edible Toadstools and Mushrooms and How to Distinguish Them

The collection of edible mushrooms has long been both a necessity and a hobby for many Americans.

William Gibson, 2008

Mapping the cultural space of journalism: how journalists ...

Addressing the controversial issues of the blurring boundaries between news and entertainment and the movement toward sensationalism in broadcast journalism, this study examines these distinctions: how boundaries are constructed and by whom ...

Samuel P. Winch, 1997

A Kingdom Not of this World: Stuart Robinson's Struggle to ...

In A Kingdom Not of This World: Stuart Robinson's Struggle to Distinguish the Sacred from the Secular During the Civil War Preston D. Graham, Jr. presents a case study of a rather sizeable movement among border state Presbyterians, with ...

Preston D. Graham, Stuart Robinson, 2002

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DISTINGUISH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term distinguish is used in the context of the following news items.

Communication frequently fails to distinguish between immigration …

Communication frequently fails to distinguish between immigration categories. Saved. Save Article; My Saved Items · Print Email. Respond: ... «Arizona Daily Star, Jul 15»

Study: Brain scan can be used to distinguish between traumatic …

Some PTSD treatments can be useless or even harmful for TBI patients, making it crucial to distinguish between the two. PTSD is typically ... «FierceMedicalDevices, Jul 15»

2016 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro Renders Will Be Very Hard To …

2016 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro Renders Will Be Very Hard To Distinguish From The Real Deal. Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 3:38 pm | Posted by Dan Mihalascu. «Carscoops, Jul 15»

ASU researcher disputes claim that humans can distinguish 1 trillion …

Arizona State University researcher Rick Gerkin disagrees with findings made public last year in the journal Science that humans can smell at ... «Arizona State University, Jul 15»

New Finding: 'Children with autism can't distinguish between …

People are generally able to differentiate between foul and pleasant smells but this appears not to be the case for autism patients, ... «Pulse Nigeria, Jul 15»

Children with autism do not distinguish between different types of …

People with autism do not sniff fragrances or odors the same way that non-autistic people do, says a study by Cell Press. The research findings ... «Examiner.com, Jul 15»

New Technology May Better Distinguish Brain Tumors From Healthy …

The use of new optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology may more accurately distinguish between brain tumor cells and healthy brain ... «Medscape, Jun 15»

TrulySecure Lets Devices Distinguish Between Speakers

TrulySecure Lets Devices Distinguish Between Speakers Sensory, Inc. has released a new SDK that allows devices and applications to ... «Mobile ID World, Jun 15»

When Thinking about Obergefell We Must Distinguish between …

LadyJustice Among the friends of liberty, there is much confusion about whether the Supreme Court's Obergefell opinion is a vindication of ... «The Beacon, Jun 15»

5 ways Christie can distinguish himself from other candidates

TRENTON — In the largest field of Republican candidates in recent history to seek the party's nod for president, Gov. Chris Christie will burnish ... «NJ.com, Jun 15»