 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Distribution \Dis'tri*bu"tion\, noun [L. distributio: cf. F. distribution.]
1. The act of distributing or dispensing; the act of dividing or apportioning among several or many; apportionment; as, the distribution of an estate among heirs or children.
The phenomena of geological distribution are exactly analogous to those of geography. --A. R. Wallace.
2. Separation into parts or classes; arrangement of anything into parts; disposition; classification.
3. That which is distributed. ''Our charitable distributions.'' --Atterbury.
4. (Logic) A resolving a whole into its parts.
5. (Print.) The sorting of types and placing them in their proper boxes in the cases.
6. (Steam Engine) The steps or operations by which steam is supplied to and withdrawn from the cylinder at each stroke of the piston; viz., admission, suppression or cutting off, release or exhaust, and compression of exhaust steam prior to the next admission.
{Geographical distribution}, the natural arrangements of animals and plants in particular regions or districts.
Syn: Apportionments; allotment; dispensation; disposal; dispersion; classification; arrangement.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
distribution
noun
1: (statistics) an arrangement of values of a variable showing their observed or theoretical frequency of occurrence [syn: {statistical distribution}]
2: the spatial property of being scattered about over an area or volume [syn: {dispersion}] [ant: {concentration}]
3: the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning
4: the commercial activity of transporting and selling goods from a producer to a consumer
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
72 Moby Thesaurus words for "distribution": administration, allocation, allotment, apportionment, arrangement, array, arraying, assignment, attenuation, broadcast, broadcasting, cataloguing, circulation, circumfusion, classification, codification, collation, collocation, constitution, deployment, diffraction, diffusion, dilution, disbursal, disbursement, dispensation, dispersal, dispersion, disposal, disposition, dissemination, dissipation, divergence, division, dole, doling, doling out, evaporation, expansion, form, formation, formulation, fragmentation, giving out, grouping, issuance, marshaling, order, ordering, passing around, paying out, peppering, placement, propagation, publication, radiation, regimentation, scattering, scatterment, sequence, sharing, shotgun pattern, sowing, spattering, splay, spread, spreading, sprinkling, strewing, structuring, syntax, volatilization
From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:
distribution n.
1. A software source tree packaged for distribution; but see {kit}. Since about 1996 unqualified use of this term often implies '{Linux} distribution'. The short form {distro} is often used for this sense. 2. A vague term encompassing mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups (but not {BBS} {fora}); any topic-oriented message channel with multiple recipients. 3. An information-space domain (usually loosely correlated with geography) to which propagation of a Usenet message is restricted; a much-underutilized feature.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
distribution
1. A software source tree packaged for distribution; but see {kit}. 2. A vague term encompassing {mailing list}s and {Usenet} {newsgroup}s (but not {BBS} {fora}); any topic-oriented message channel with multiple recipients. 3. An information-space domain (usually loosely correlated with geography) to which propagation of a {Usenet} message is restricted; a much-underused feature. [{Jargon File}]
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |