Differentia

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /dɪfəˈɹɛnʃɪə/

Origin

From Latin differentia.

Full definition of differentia

Noun

1. (semantics, logic) A distinguishing feature which marks something off from other members of the same family.
• 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, p. 38:That character, it seems to me, should be regarded as the practically important differentia of religion for our purpose.
• 1928, E. M. Edghill, S:Categories, If genera are different and co-ordinate, their differentiae are themselves different in kind. Take as an instance the genus ‘animal’ and the genus ‘knowledge’. ‘With feet’, ‘two-footed’, ‘winged’, ‘aquatic’, are differentiae of ‘animal’; the species of knowledge are not distinguished by the same differentiae.
2. (taxonomy) An attribute that distinguishes a species from others of the same genus.