Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Differentiation has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes
"it is necessary to make a distinction between love and infatuation"
the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function
"The calculus lesson focused on differentiation, showing students how to find the rate of change for any given function."
(biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function
"cell differentiation in the developing embryo"
The act of differentiating.
"The biological process of differentiation transforms stem cells into specialized tissues within the embryo."
In plain English: Differentiation is when things become distinct from each other because they have different features or characteristics.
"The school's main goal is the differentiation between right and wrong answers for students who struggle with math."
The word differentiation comes from the Latin differre, which literally means "to carry apart." This root combines dis-, meaning "apart," and ferre, meaning "to bear" or "carry."