Meanings
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1
noun
a distinguishing feature that separates a species, class, or concept from other members of the same genus
Russell asks whether a particular feeling is the differentia of belief.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
1
noun
· a distinguishing feature...
distinguishing characteristicdefining feature
Opposites
common feature
Word family
Derived forms
differential
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin differentia ("difference, diversity"), from differre ("to carry apart, differ"). Scholastic logic uses it for the feature that distinguishes a species within a genus.