distribution English · revision 4135

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1382|origins=la distribuere}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˌdɪs.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|distribucioun]],^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|fro|distribution]], 13th century,^(Etymonline) and directly from [[la|distribūtiō|t=a division, distribution]] (accusative distribūtiōnem),^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) a noun of action from the past participle of [[m|la|distribuere|t=to divide, deal out in portions]],^(Etymonline) from dis- “individually” and [[m|la|tribuere|t=to pay, assign, grant; to allot among the tribes]],^(Etymonline) from tribus “tribe”.^(Etymonline) It is related to [[distribute]], [[tribute]] and [[tribe]].^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act of dividing and dealing out in portions: 1382 in the OED,^(OED 1989) the mid-14th century in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “That which is distributed or apportioned” is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline) The act of spreading out over a surface or space is from the 1580s,^(Etymonline) 1589 in the OED.^(OED 1989) The orderly division of a whole into classes is from 1605.^(OED 1989) In political economy, the division of a society's produce among its members is from 1793,^(OED 1989) and in statistics the way a measurement is spread over a population from 1854.^(OED 1989) In linguistics, the occurrence of an element in its characteristic environments, it is from 1933.^(OED 1989) The geographic range of a plant or animal and the marketing of goods to consumers came later.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) ''Distributional'' is from 1804.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1382 – a dealing out.^(OED 1989)

+ * late 14th century – a thing distributed.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1589 – a spreading over a space.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1793 – in economics.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1854 – in statistics.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1933 – in linguistics.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act of distributing, or the state of being distributed; apportionment.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Something distributed; an allotment.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The spreading out of something over an area; diffusion.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The geographic range of a living thing.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The process of supplying goods to shops and consumers.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # In statistics, the set of values a variable takes and how often it takes them.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[distributional]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[distributee]]

+ * [[distributive]]

+ * [[distributor]]

+ * [[distribute]]

+ * [[tribute]]

+ * [[tribe]]

+ * [[attribute]]

+ * [[contribute]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}