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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Distinguish \Dis*tin"guish\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Distinguished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Distinguishing}.] [F. distinguer, L. distinguere, distinctum; di- = dis- + stinguere to quench, extinguish; prob. orig., to prick, and so akin to G. stechen, E. stick, and perh. sting. Cf. {Extinguish}.]
1. Not set apart from others by visible marks; to make distinctive or discernible by exhibiting differences; to mark off by some characteristic.
Not more distinguished by her purple vest, Than by the charming features of her face. --Dryden.
Milton has distinguished the sweetbrier and the eglantine. --Nares.
2. To separate by definition of terms or logical division of a subject with regard to difference; as, to distinguish sounds into high and low.
Moses distinguished the causes of the flood into those that belong to the heavens, and those that belong to the earth. --T. Burnet.
3. To recognize or discern by marks, signs, or characteristic quality or qualities; to know and discriminate (anything) from other things with which it might be confounded; as, to distinguish the sound of a drum.
We are enabled to distinguish good from evil, as well as truth from falsehood. --Watts.
Nor more can you distinguish of a man, Than of his outward show. --Shak.
4. To constitute a difference; to make to differ.
Who distinguisheth thee? --1 Cor. iv. 7. (Douay version).
5. To separate from others by a mark of honor; to make eminent or known; to confer distinction upon; -- with by or for.''To distinguish themselves by means never tried before.'' --Johnson.
Syn: To mark; discriminate; differentiate; characterize; discern; perceive; signalize; honor; glorify.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Distinguish \Dis*tin"guish\, verb (used without an object)
1. To make distinctions; to perceive the difference; to exercise discrimination; -- with between; as, a judge distinguishes between cases apparently similar, but differing in principle.
2. To become distinguished or distinctive; to make one's self or itself discernible. [R.]
The little embryo . . . first distinguishes into a little knot. --Jer. Taylor.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
distinguish
verb
1: mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple" [syn: {separate}, {differentiate}, {secern}, {secernate}, {severalize}, {severalise}, {tell}, {tell apart}]
2: detect with the senses; "The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I can't make out the faces in this photograph" [syn: {recognize}, {recognise}, {discern}, {pick out}, {make out}, {tell apart}]
3: be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense; "His modesty distinguishes him form his peers" [syn: {mark}, {differentiate}]
4: make conspicuous or noteworthy [syn: {signalize}, {signalise}]
5: identify as in botany or biology, for example [syn: {identify}, {discover}, {key}, {key out}, {describe}, {name}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
142 Moby Thesaurus words for "distinguish": adorn, aggrandize, analyze, anatomize, atomize, be characteristic, behold, bestow honor upon, call attention to, catch sight of, categorize, change, characterize, chop logic, clap eyes on, classify, confer distinction on, contradistinguish, decide, define, demarcate, demark, denote, describe, descry, designate, desynonymize, detach, detect, determinate, determine, diagnose, difference, differentiate, dignify, discern, discover, discriminate, disengage, disequalize, disjoin, diversify, divide, draw the line, earmark, ennoble, erect, espy, extricate, feel, finger, glimpse, glorify, grace, grade, group, have, have in sight, hear, honor, identify, indicate, individualize, individuate, judge, ken, keynote, know, know again, lay eyes on, look on, look upon, magnify, make a distinction, make out, mark, mark off, mark out, mark the interface, modify, nail, note, notice, observe, part, particularize, peg, perceive, personalize, pick out, pick up, pinpoint, place, qualify, realize, recall knowledge of, recognize, refine a distinction, reidentify, remark, screen, screen out, see, segregate, select, sense, separate, set a limit, set apart, set off, set the pace, set the tone, sever, severalize, sieve, sieve out, sift, sift out, sight, signalize, single out, smell, sort, sort out, sound the keynote, specialize, split hairs, spot, spy, subdivide, sublime, subtilize, take in, taste, tell, tell apart, twig, uprear, vary, view, winnow, witness
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