the.com/distinction
The difference that matters, dressed up to sound important.
means A difference or quality that sets something apart, or the recognition of excellence that comes from standing out.
from From Latin distinctio, built on distinguere — 'to separate by pricking apart,' from stinguere, 'to prick or sting.' The same root gives us 'extinguish' (to prick out, snuff out), so distinction and extinction are oddly related cousins: one marks a thing as separate and special, the other separates it right out of existence.
- etymology
- from latin distinguere, to prick apart
- academic use
- the grade that means brag at dinner
- irony
- often claimed by things barely different
- social function
- lets people feel superior with a straight face