differentiation (n.)

  1. a discrimination between things as different and distinct; it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation

    [ Syn: distinction ]

  2. the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function

  3. (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function; cell differentiation in the developing embryo

    [ Syn: specialization , specialisation ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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