Differential

How to spell differential

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce differential

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does differential mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to, depending on, or showing a difference between things.
2. nounA measurable difference in amount, rate, or value between two things.
3. nounA set of gears that allows a vehicle's driven wheels to rotate at different speeds, especially when turning.
4. nounIn calculus, an infinitely small change in a variable quantity.

Differential in a sentence

• adjective

  The company applied a differential rate of pay for night shifts.

• noun

  The pay differential between the two departments caused some resentment.

• noun

  The mechanic replaced the worn differential in the rear axle.

• noun

  The lecturer explained how to integrate the differential across the interval.

• adjective

  The survey measured the differential impact of the tax on rich and poor households.

• noun

  A widening price differential made the imported model far cheaper.

Where does differential come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb differre, which literally meant 'to carry apart' or 'to scatter', formed from dis- 'apart' and ferre 'to carry or bear'. From that verb came the medieval Latin differentialis, an adjective describing something that pertains to a difference. English adopted the term in the 1600s, at first as a technical adjective in mathematics and natural philosophy, where it described quantities that vary by tiny increments. The mathematician Leibniz used the Latin word in the 1670s for his new calculus of differentials, and that scholarly sense flowed straight into English. Over time the word branched out into mechanical engineering (the gear set that lets a vehicle's wheels turn at different rates) and into economics (a measurable gap such as a pay differential). The doubled f and the -ential ending are the spelling traps, both inherited directly from the Latin differre and the suffix -ial.

How the word is built

• differ- (from Latin differre: to carry apart, to differ)
• -ent (adjective participle)
• -ial (relating to)