LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

differentia

differentia f (genitive differentiae)
Classical[dɪf.fɛˈrɛn.ti.a]Ecclesiastical[dif.feˈrɛn.t͡si.a]

Meaning

  1. femininedifference
  2. femininediversity

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativedifferentiadifferentiae
genitivedifferentiaedifferentiārum
dativedifferentiaedifferentiīs
accusativedifferentiamdifferentiās
ablativedifferentiādifferentiīs
vocativedifferentiadifferentiae

diffĕrentĭa, ae, f. differo,
I. a difference, diversity (cf.: discrepantia, distantia, discrimen, diversitas, variatio—good prose, esp. freq. in Quint.).
(a). With gen.: honesti et decori, Cic. Off. 1, 27, 94: naturarum, id. ib. 1, 31, 112: morum, Petr. 84, 1: personarum, locorum temporumque, Quint. 12, 10, 70: nostri Graecique sermonis, id. 9, 4, 146 et saep.—In plur.: Graeci sermonis, Quint. 11, 2, 50.—
(b). With in: quanta differentia est in principiis naturalibus, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 19; Quint. 3, 7, 25; 3, 8, 37; 7, 2, 48 et saep.—
(g). Absol.: ut facies infinitam habet differentiam, Quint. 11, 3, 18; so id. 9, 4, 45.—
II. Esp. a species: genus est notio ad pluris differentias pertinens, Cic. Top. 7, 31; cf.: definitionem omnem ex genere et differentia consistere, Gell. 4, 1, 10.

Origins

From differēns + -ia.

Descendants
  • Catalandiferència
  • Italiandifferenza
  • Occitandiferéncia
  • Frenchdifférencefrom Old French difference
  • Englishdifferencefrom Old French difference
  • Portuguesediferença
  • Romaniandiferență
  • Spanishdiferencia
  • Czechdiference
  • Galiciandiferenza

Quick answers

What does differentia mean in Latin?
differentia, a noun, means “difference; diversity”.
What is the genitive of differentia?
The genitive singular is differentiae. differentia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce differentia?
In classical Latin, [dɪf.fɛˈrɛn.ti.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [dif.feˈrɛn.t͡si.a].