Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “distinguishing” come from?

Distinguishing comes from Middle English distingwen, from Old French distinguer, from Latin distinguere meaning to separate or divide, formed from the prefix dis- and a root from Proto-Indo-European dwís.

distinguishing (English): present participle of distinguish; That serves to...

Definitions

  1. present participle of distinguish; That serves to...

Ancestry of “distinguishing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdistinguishTo recognize someone or something as different...
2Middle Englishdistingwen—
3Old Frenchdistinguer—
4LatindistinguoI distinguish, separate, divide or part; I adorn...
5Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
6Latincalceusshoe
7Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
8Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “distinguishing”

  • undistinguishing
  • distinguishingly
  • indistinguishing
  • nondistinguishing
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →