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discrete - 7 dictionary results

dis⋅crete

  [di-skreet]
Use discrete in a Sentence
–adjective
1. apart or detached from others; separate; distinct: six discrete parts.
2. consisting of or characterized by distinct or individual parts; discontinuous.
3. Mathematics.
a. (of a topology or topological space) having the property that every subset is an open set.
b. defined only for an isolated set of points: a discrete variable.
c. using only arithmetic and algebra; not involving calculus: discrete methods.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L discrētus separated; see discreet

Related forms:
dis⋅crete⋅ly, adverb
dis⋅crete⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. different, individual, unconnected.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dis·crete   (dĭ-skrēt')   
adj.  
  1. Constituting a separate thing. See Synonyms at distinct.
  2. Consisting of unconnected distinct parts.
  3. Mathematics Defined for a finite or countable set of values; not continuous.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin discrētus, past participle of discernere, to separate; see discern.]
dis·crete'ly adv., dis·crete'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Discrete

Dis*crete"\, a. [L. discretus, p. p. of discernere. See Discreet.]

1. Separate; distinct; disjunct. --Sir M. Hale.

2. Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause; as, "I resign my life, but not my honor," is a discrete proposition.

3. (Bot.) Separate; not coalescent; -- said of things usually coalescent.

Discrete movement. See Concrete movement of the voice, under Concrete, a.

Discrete proportion, proportion where the ratio of the means is different from that of either couplet; as, 3:6::8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6 as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or continual proportion; as, 3:6::12:24.

Discrete quantity, that which must be divided into units, as number, and is opposed to continued quantity, as duration, or extension.

Discrete

Dis*crete"\, v. t. To separate. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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discrete 
1398, see discreet.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: dis·crete
Pronunciation: dis-'krEt, 'dis-"
Function: adjective
: characterized by distinct unconnected lesions <discretesmallpox> —compare CONFLUENT 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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discrete dis·crete (dĭ-skrēt')
adj.
Not joined to or incorporated with another; separate; distinct.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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