Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin distinctus, past participle of disting(u)ere to divide off, pick out, distinguish (di-di-2 + *sting(u)ere presumably, to prick, mark by pricking; compare instinct1, instigate)
Related forms
dis·tinct·ness, noun
Synonyms 1. individual. See various.3. well-defined, unconfused.