Dictionary

differential en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• [dɪfəˈɹənʃəɫ]
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin differō Latin differēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin differentia Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin differentiālislbor. English differential Learned borrowing from Latin differentiālis. By surface analysis, different + -ial.

Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to a difference.
   • [Caspar Schetz, Baron of Grobbendonck] was regularly in the pay of Sir Thomas Gresham, to whom he produced differential favours, and by whose government he was rewarded by gold chains and presents of hard cash, bestowed as secretly as the equivalent was conveyed adroitly. 1856, John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic: A History, volume 1:
   • I saved disk space by taking differential backups, which only stored the data that had changed.
   • differential characteristics
2. Dependent on, or making a difference; distinctive.
3. Having differences in speed or direction of motion.
4. Of or pertaining to differentiation or the differential calculus.

Forms

Deriveds

transdifferential · ultradifferential · cytodifferential · undifferential · nondifferential · thermodifferential · time differential · differentially · differential racialization · paradifferential · subdifferentially · differential privacy · multidifferential · differentialize · pseudodifferential · codifferential · bidifferential · differintegral · subdifferential · differential grasshopper

Translations (37)

sv differens- (relating to a difference) · fr différentiel (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · pl różniczkowy (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · pl różnicowy (relating to a difference) · fi differentiaali- (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · de Differenzial (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · ru дифференциа́льный (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · io diferenciala (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · pt diferencial (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · hi अवकल (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · da differential- (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · bg отличителен (relating to a difference) · fi erisuuntainen (having differences in speed or direction) · fi riippuvainen (dependent on, distinctive) · vi vi phân (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · fi erityis- (dependent on, distinctive) · bg диференциален (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · cs diferenciální (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · sv differential- (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · fi erinopeuksinen (having differences in speed or direction) · kk дифференциалдық (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · tl tingirin (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · bg разграничителен (dependent on, distinctive) · el διαφορικός (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · da forskels- (relating to a difference) · fi erityinen (dependent on, distinctive) · el διάφορος (dependent on, distinctive) · fi erityis- (relating to a difference) · es diferencial (relating to a difference) · es diferencial (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · hi अवकल (relating to a difference) · fi erityinen (relating to a difference) · tr diferansiyel (relating to differentiation or differential calculus) · fi erotus- (relating to a difference) · el διαφορικός (relating to a difference) · da differentieret (dependent on, distinctive) · hu differenciál (relating to differentiation or differential calculus)

differential en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [dɪfəˈɹənʃəɫ]
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti Proto-Italic *ferō Latin ferō Latin differō Latin differēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin differentia Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin differentiālislbor. English differential Learned borrowing from Latin differentiālis. By surface analysis, different + -ial.

Meanings

1. The differential gear in an automobile, etc.
2. A qualitative or quantitative difference between similar or comparable things.
3. One of two coils of conducting wire so related to one another or to a magnet or armature common to both, that one coil produces polar action contrary to that of the other.
4. A form of conductor used for dividing and distributing the current to a series of electric lamps so as to maintain equal action in all.
5. A quantity representing an infinitesimal change in a variable, now only used as a heuristic aid except in nonstandard analysis but considered rigorous until the 20th century; a fluxion in Newtonian calculus, now usually written in Leibniz's notation as operatorname d!x.
6. (of a univariate differentiable function f(x)) A function giving the change in the linear approximation of f at a point x over a small interval Δx or operatorname d!x, the function being called the differential of f and denoted operatorname d!f(x,Δx), operatorname d!f(x), or simply operatorname d!f.
   • If f(x)#61;x², the differential of f is the function #92;operatorname#123;d#125;#92;#33;f(x,#92;Deltax)#61;f'(x)#92;Deltax#61;2x#92;Deltax.
7. (of a univariate differentiable function f(x)) A function giving the change in the linear approximation of f at a point x over a small interval Δx or operatorname d!x, the function being called the differential of f and denoted operatorname d!f(x,Δx), operatorname d!f(x), or simply operatorname d!f. ▸ Any of several generalizations of this concept to functions of several variables or to higher orders: the partial differential, total differential, Gateaux differential, etc.
8. The Jacobian matrix of a function of several variables.
9. (of a smooth map ϕ between smooth manifolds, qualifier:differential geometry) The pushforward or total derivative of ϕ: a linear map from the tangent space at a point x in ϕ's domain to the tangent space at ϕ(x) which is, in a technical sense, the best linear approximation of ϕ at x; denoted operatorname d!ϕₓ.
10. Any of several generalizations of the concept(s) above: e.g. the Kähler differential in the setting of schemes, the quadratic differential in the theory of Riemann surfaces, etc.

Forms

Deriveds

differential equation · differential gear · differential steering · locking differential · differential topology · Legendre's differential equation · differential form · differential medium · differential screw · differential piece work · differential thermal analysis · differential amplifier · differential coefficient · differential lock · partial differential · open differential · delay differential equation · differential scanning calorimetry · differential analyzer · differential psychologist · limited-slip differential · differential psychology · differential geometry · differential diagnosis · partial differential equation · stochastic differential equation · integro-differential · differential thermometer · affine differential geometry · differential structure · absolute differential calculus · ordinary differential equation

Relateds

differentiation · differentiate · different · differ · difference

Translations (26)

ru дифференциа́л (infinitesimal change) · nl differentiaal (infinitesimal change) · pl różniczka (infinitesimal change) · fi ero (difference between similar or comparable things) · bg диференциал (infinitesimal change) · fr différentielle (infinitesimal change) · tl tingid (infinitesimal change) · it differenziale (infinitesimal change) · hu differenciál (infinitesimal change) · ast diferencial (infinitesimal change) · io diferencialo (infinitesimal change) · da forskel (difference between similar or comparable things) · el διαφορικό (infinitesimal change) · el διαφορικό (difference between similar or comparable things) · mi pārōnaki (difference between similar or comparable things) · pt diferencial (infinitesimal change) · ca dferencial (infinitesimal change) · id diferensial (infinitesimal change) · nb differensial (infinitesimal change) · gl diferencial (infinitesimal change) · es diferencial (infinitesimal change) · he דיפרנציאל (infinitesimal change) · fi differentiaali (infinitesimal change) · sv differential (infinitesimal change) · id perbedaan (difference between similar or comparable things) · nn differensial (infinitesimal change)