distinctio
9.9
A clear separation of ideas or categories used in law and philosophy
- noun
- /dɪˈstɪŋkʃiˌoʊ/
- Archaic
:
distinción
- In medieval philosophy, a distinctio helps clarify the differences between similar concepts.
Examples
-
Understanding the distinctio between right and wrong is essential in ethical discussions.
-
The lawyer used a distinctio to separate the categories of negligence and intentional harm in court.
-
While not using the term "distinctio," Patty ("Melville and Language") offers this excerpt from The Confidence-Man:
Academic text (1997)
Synonyms
separation
vsdistinctio
8
3.2
The act of putting things into different groups
applies to formal conceptual divisions rather than general physical sorting
disparation
vsdistinctio
9.9
A difference between people, groups, or places
is the formal division used in philosophy or law to sort concepts
dichotomization
vsdistinctio
9.9
The act of dividing something into two clearly different groups
involves broader category divisions not limited to two opposing groups
Antonyms
Surface Forms
distinctio singular
distinctiones plural
Etymology
Distinctio comes from the same root as English distinct, which means 'standing apart' or 'separate'. So in medieval philosophy and law it named a clear division or class that keeps ideas 'apart' from each other.