Where does “difference” come from?
Difference comes from Middle English difference, from Old French difference, from Latin differentia, derived from the present participle differens of differre, meaning to carry apart or distinguish.
difference (English): The quality of being different; A characteristic...
Definitions
- The quality of being different; A characteristic...
Ancestry of “difference”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | difference | Difference; the state of being different; A... |
| 2 | Old French | difference | difference |
| 3 | Latin | differentia | difference; diversity; nominative neuter plural... |
| 4 | Latin | differēns | spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating |
| 5 | Latin | differre | present active infinitive of differō |
| 6 | Latin | differo | I carry different ways, spread, scatter,... |
| 7 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 8 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 9 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |