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fference, or distinction from everything else; distinctive; peculiar; characteristic. The distinguishing doctrines of our holy religion. Locke. Distinguishing pennant (Naut.), a special pennant by which any particular vessel in a fleet is recognized and signaled. Simmonds.

With distinction; with some mark of preference. Pope.

Making no difference; indiscriminative; impartial; as, indistinguishing liberalities. [Obs.] Johnson.

e of voice or of articulative effort upon some particular syllable of a word or a phrase, distinguishing it from the others.

One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, potash, ammoma, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue. Fixed a…

the enemy's shot by iron or steel armor. There is no distinct and accepted classification distinguishing armored and protected cruisers from each other, except that the first have more or heavier armor than the second.

To cross with one or more stripes or lines. For the sake of distinguishing the feet more clearly, I have barred them singly. Burney.

A red hand, as in the arms of Ulster, which is now the distinguishing mark of a baronet of the United Kingdom.

A swallow-tailed flag; a distinguishing pen

A distinguishing trait, quality, or property; an element of character; that which characterized. Pope. The characteristics of a true critic. Johnson.

Destitute of any distinguishing quality; without character or force.

A distinguishing mark, above the elow, on the sleeve of a noncommisioned officer's coat.

Care in selecting; judgment or skill in distinguishing what is to be preferred, and in giving a preference; discrimination. I imagine they [the apothegms of Cæsar] were collected with judgment and choice. Bacon.

The distinguishing mark worn by an armed knight, usually upon the helmet, and by his retainers and followers: Hence, in general, a badge worn by a retainer or dependent, to indicate the person or party to which he belonged; a token by which a thing may be known. Wearing the liveries and cognizance of their master. Pres…

A distinguishing badge, as a flag or similar symbol (usually in the plural); as, the colors or color of a ship or regiment; the colors of a race horse (that is, of the cap and jacket worn by the jockey). In the United States each regiment of infantry and artillery has two colors, one national and one regimental. Farrow…

having the quality of contradistinction; distinguishing by contrast. -- Con`tra*dis*tinc"tive, n.

That which designates; a distinguishing mark or name; distinctive title; appellation. The usual designation of the days of the week. Whewell.

haracter proved correct. J. Payn. Differential diagnosis (Med.), the determination of the distinguishing characteristics as between two similar diseases or conditions.

The formal or distinguishing part of the essence of a species; the characteristic attribute of a species; specific difference.

The act of distinguishing or describing a thing, by giving its different, or specific difference; exact definition or determination.