differentia — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A distinguishing feature which marks a species off from other members of the same genus.

   Related words

   criteriondefiniendum

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   That character, it seems to me, should be regarded as the practically important differentia of religion for our purpose; and just what it is can easily be brought out by comparing the mind of an abstractly conceived Christian with that of a moralist similarly conceived.

   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.

   In the case of a word like “surfboard,” the differentiae seem pretty clear. How is this board different from all other boards?

Noun

1. distinguishing characteristics (especially in different species of a genus)

   Broader terms

   difference