Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Distribution has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
(statistics) an arrangement of values of a variable showing their observed or theoretical frequency of occurrence
"The software automatically plots the distribution of student test scores to identify how many performed at each level."
the spatial or geographic property of being scattered about over a range, area, or volume
"worldwide in distribution"
"the distribution of nerve fibers"
"in complementary distribution"
the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning
"The new policy changed how resources are distributed among the various departments to ensure everyone gets a fair share."
the commercial activity of transporting and selling goods from a producer to a consumer
"The company expanded its distribution network to reach customers in rural areas more quickly."
An act of distributing or state of being distributed.
"The distribution of free samples at the mall was so chaotic that security had to step in to restore order."
In plain English: Distribution is the act of sending goods to different places so people can buy them.
"The school received the new textbooks through a special distribution program."
Usage: Use distribution to describe the action of sharing items among people or the way those items are spread across a specific area. Avoid using it to mean the result of dividing numbers, which requires the word quotient.
The word distribution comes from the Old French distributio and the Latin verb distribuere, which means "to divide apart." It entered English through this lineage, carrying its original sense of allocating or handing out items to different people.