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distinction

Etymology and origin of the English word distinction

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1225
Borrowed from
Old French distinction
Ultimate origin
Latin (distinguo)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English distinccioun, borrowed from Old French distinction and directly Latin distinctio (“separation, discrimination”),[2][3][4] from the past participle stem of distinguere (“to separate, mark off”) (see distinguish).[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One of the parts into which a thing is divided, a section or class: before 1225 in the OED, about 1200 in Etymonline.[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The action of distinguishing, noting differences, is from before 1340 (the late 14th century),[5][2] and division into parts from 1387.[5] A distinctive nature or character is from the late 14th century, and a mark of difference from the early 15th.[2] A distinction without a difference is from 1579.[5][2] Punctuation, a stop, is an obsolete sense of 1552.[5] Rank or class is from 1719 (of the first distinction),[5] and that which confers superiority or eminence from the 1690s.[2] Special honour, or a symbol of it, is a further sense.[6]

Timeline

  • before 1225 – a section, class.[5]
  • before 1340 – the act of distinguishing.[5]
  • 1579 – a distinction without a difference.[5]
  • 1690s – eminence.[2]
  • 1719 – rank.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of distinguishing; differentiation.
  2. A difference, or a distinguishing feature.
  3. Excellence or eminence: a writer of distinction.
  4. Special honour or recognition, or a mark of it.

Word family

  • distinctionless
  • contradistinction
  • distinct
  • distinguish
  • distinguished
  • distinctive
  • extinguish
  • instinct

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Distinction.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/distinction. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·