differentiate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To recognize or show how two or more things are different.

   How do you differentiate a fake smile from a genuine one?

2. 2
   verb

   To be the feature that makes one thing different from another.

   Excellent service is what differentiates this hotel from its rivals.

3. 3
   verb

   To develop into a more specialized form, as cells do in biology.

   During growth, these cells differentiate into muscle and bone.

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 *-yós 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.

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