Origin: 1400–50;late Middle English < Latindistribūtus, past participle of distribuere to divide up. See dis-1, tribute
Related forms
dis·trib·ut·a·ble, adjective
pre·dis·trib·ute, verb (used with object), pre·dis·trib·ut·ed, pre·dis·trib·ut·ing.
Synonyms 1. assign, mete, apportion. Distribute, dispense apply to giving out something. Distribute implies apportioned, individualized giving, especially of something that is definite or limited in amount or number: The prizes were distributed among ten winners.Dispense formerly implied indiscriminate, general, and liberal giving, especially of something that was more or less indefinite or unmeasured in amount: to dispense largess. It now applies chiefly to giving according to need or deserts, from an organized and official source: to dispense medicines and food to the victims.6. dispose, sort, arrange, categorize.
(often passive) to spread throughout a space or area: gulls are distributed along the west coast
4.
(often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classify: these books are distributed in four main categories
5.
printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case
6.
logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition
7.
maths, logic to expand an expression containing two operators in such a way that the precedence of the operators is changed; for example, distributing multiplication over addition in a(b + c) yields ab + ac
8.
obsolete to dispense (justice)
[C15: from Latin distribuere from dis-1 + tribuere to give]
dis'tributable
—adj
distribute (dɪˈstrɪbjuːt)
—vb
1.
to give out in shares; dispense
2.
to hand out or deliver: to distribute handbills
3.
(often passive) to spread throughout a space or area: gulls are distributed along the west coast
4.
(often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classify: these books are distributed in four main categories
5.
printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case
6.
logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition
7.
maths, logic to expand an expression containing two operators in such a way that the precedence of the operators is changed; for example, distributing multiplication over addition in a(b + c) yields ab + ac
8.
obsolete to dispense (justice)
[C15: from Latin distribuere from dis-1 + tribuere to give]