n. | 1. | The act of differentiating. |
2. | (Logic) The act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference; exact definition or determination. | |
3. | (Biol.) The gradual formation or production of organs or parts by a process of evolution or development, as when the seed develops the root and the stem, the initial stem develops the leaf, branches, and flower buds; or in animal life, when the germ evolves the digestive and other organs and members, or when the animals as they advance in organization acquire special organs for specific purposes. | |
4. | (Metaph.) The supposed act or tendency in being of every kind, whether organic or inorganic, to assume or produce a more complex structure or functions. |
Noun | 1. | differentiation - a discrimination between things as different and distinct; "it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation" Synonyms: distinction |
2. | differentiation - the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function | |
3. | differentiation - (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function; "cell differentiation in the developing embryo" Synonyms: specialisation, specialization |