English
differentiation
Differentiation comes from Old French differer ‘to differ’, from Latin differō ‘carry apart, put off, defer’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘carry apart, put off, defer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differen
- Englishearliest quotation 1878differentiation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘carry, bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘carry apart, put off, defer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400differer‘to differ’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500differen
- Englishearliest quotation 1878differentiation
Earliest quotation: 1878, Edmund Montgomery, Monera, and the problem of life: “The integration and differentiation of vital function on the…”
Formed from differentiate + -ion
New Latin differentiātus
English differentiate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, bearing, prefer, burden, barrel, barn, fury, bark, bore, baron, breeze, broom, barrow, embargo, berth, fret, ferret, insufferable, furtive, bier, bahar, birr, bairn, burnish, barrette, proffer, 120 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, 98 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, infertility, infertile, 74 more
through Latin ferō ‘carry, bear’
offer, transfer, extraordinary, reference, relative, suffer, relate, translation, translate, relation, strangely, frustration, referendum, referee, fertility, extravagant, fertile, infra, infer, frustrate, elated, confer, extraneous, strangeness, deference, fertilization, collate, ablation, fertilize, elation, estrange, collation, ablative, oblate, deferential, efferent, indifferently, 77 more
through Latin differō ‘carry apart, put off, defer’
through Old French differer ‘to differ’
Today it means
noun The act of treating one thing as distinct from another, or of creating such a distinction; of separating a class of things into categories; of describing a thing by illustrating how it is different from something else.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / differentiation