The Collaborative International Dictionary
Distinguish \Dis*tin"guish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distinguished; p. pr. & vb. n. Distinguishing.] [F. distinguer, L. distinguere, distinctum; di- = dis- + stinguere to quench, extinguish; prob. orig., to prick, and so akin to G. stechen, E. stick, and perh. sting. Cf. Extinguish.]
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Not set apart from others by visible marks; to make distinctive or discernible by exhibiting differences; to mark off by some characteristic.
Not more distinguished by her purple vest, Than by the charming features of her face.
--Dryden.Milton has distinguished the sweetbrier and the eglantine.
--Nares. -
To separate by definition of terms or logical division of a subject with regard to difference; as, to distinguish sounds into high and low.
Moses distinguished the causes of the flood into those that belong to the heavens, and those that belong to the earth.
--T. Burnet. -
To recognize or discern by marks, signs, or characteristic quality or qualities; to know and discriminate (anything) from other things with which it might be confounded; as, to distinguish the sound of a drum.
We are enabled to distinguish good from evil, as well as truth from falsehood.
--Watts.Nor more can you distinguish of a man, Than of his outward show.
--Shak. -
To constitute a difference; to make to differ.
Who distinguisheth thee?
--1 Cor. iv. 7. (Douay version). -
To separate from others by a mark of honor; to make eminent or known; to confer distinction upon; -- with by or for.``To distinguish themselves by means never tried before.''
--Johnson.Syn: To mark; discriminate; differentiate; characterize; discern; perceive; signalize; honor; glorify.
Distinguishing \Dis*tin"guish*ing\, a. Constituting difference, or distinction from everything else; distinctive; peculiar; characteristic.
The distinguishing doctrines of our holy religion.
--Locke.
Distinguishing pennant (Naut.), a special pennant by which
any particular vessel in a fleet is recognized and
signaled.
--Simmonds.
Wiktionary
That serves to distinguish. v
(present participle of distinguish English)
WordNet
adj. serving to distinguish or identify a species or group; "the distinguishing mark of the species is its plumage"; "distinctive tribal tattoos"; "we were asked to describe any identifying marks or distinguishing features" [syn: distinctive, identifying(a)]
Wikipedia
In law, to distinguish a case means a court decides the holding or legal reasoning of a precedent case will not apply due to materially different facts between the two cases. There are two formal constraints on the later court: the factors in the ratio of the earlier case must be retained in formulating the ratio of the later case, and the ruling in the later case must still support the result reached in the precedent case.
The ruling made by the judge must be based not only on the evidence they are faced with, but the precedents in which they must follow. This means that a precedent will be dealt to a case with similar facts, in which a decision can then be distinguished based upon this.
Usage examples of "distinguishing".
The American critic, altho he limited himself to the single art of literature, dealt with it at large, not distinguishing between the poets and the masters of prose.
The distinguishing characteristic of all ammonites was the complex suture pattern formed by the meeting of the growth chamber walls with the outside shell.
I always prided myself on possessing a good eye for brands, but he outclassed me, reading strange brands at over a hundred yards, and distinguishing cattle from horse stock at a distance of three miles.
But he never had a chance of distinguishing himself in her, never met a Frenchman who was his match, which was a pity, because there never was a man who longed for glory more, or who worked harder for it - even Old Jarvie praised the order Druid was kept in, although the Brokes are Tories, and always have been.
Kin-tiel, before referred to, is traceable in this village with particular clearness, distinguishing it from most of the Cibolan pueblos.
He is right to think that he has an affinity with these cineasts, who have trouble distinguishing filmic life from the real thing.
Much arduous and useful work was done by several small columns, the Colonial Horse and the Artillery Mounted Rifles especially distinguishing themselves.
Though ornithological writers are almost unanimous in distinguishing the buzzards as a group from the eagles, the grounds usually assigned for their separation are but slight, and the diagnostic character that can be best trusted is probably that in the former the bill is decurved from the base, while in the latter it is for about a third of its length straight.
The practice of thus distinguishing the rising talents of Eton is somewhat ancient.
The experiments in question had one or more of the following characteristics, distinguishing them from ordinary medical treatment: 1.
The sum of results thus reached the Fathers developed in greater detail, distinguishing and emphasizing them, and also still further corrupting them with some additional conceptions and fancies, Greek and Oriental, speculative and imaginative.
The distinguishing scenic effect from that distance was the countless distinct flashes of light reflected from the swords and spears, otherwise the panorama was not so grand as might have been expected.
It was customary for the early Scandinavian kings to be known by some distinguishing characteristic.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Marquesan islanders, and that which at once strikes you, is the European cast of their features--a peculiarity seldom observable among other uncivilized people.
I think it not improbable that persistent race characters may eventually be found distinguishing the muntjac of these islands from that of British India.