Adjacent Words

Discrete definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DISCRETE, a. [L. See Discreet.]
1. Separate; distinct; disjunct. Discrete proportion is when the ratio of two or more pairs of numbers or quantities is the same, but there is not the same proportion between all the numbers; as
3:
6::
8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6, as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 is to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or continual proportion, as
3:
6::
12:24.
2. Disjunctive; as, I resign my life, but not my honor, is a discrete proposition.
DISCRETE, v.t. To separate; to discontinue. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: constituting a separate entity or part; "a government with three discrete divisions"; "on two distinct occasions" [syn: discrete, distinct]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin discretus Date: 14th century 1. constituting a separate entity ; individually distinct <several discrete sections> 2. a. consisting of distinct or unconnected elements ; noncontinuous b. taking on or having a finite or countably infinite number of values <discrete probabilities> <a discrete random variable> Synonyms: see distinct • discretely adverb • discreteness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. individually distinct; separate, discontinuous. Derivatives: discretely adv. discreteness n. Etymology: ME f. L discretus: see DISCREET

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Discrete Dis*crete", a. [L. discretus, p. p. of discernere. See Discreet.] 1. Separate; distinct; disjunct. --Sir M. Hale. 2. Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause; as, ``I resign my life, but not my honor,'' is a discrete proposition. 3. (Bot.) Separate; not coalescent; -- said of things usually coalescent. Discrete movement. See Concrete movement of the voice, under Concrete, a. Discrete proportion, proportion where the ratio of the means is different from that of either couplet; as,
3:
6::
8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6 as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or continual proportion; as,
3:
6::
12:24. Discrete quantity, that which must be divided into units, as number, and is opposed to continued quantity, as duration, or extension.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Discrete Dis*crete", v. t. To separate. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Discrete ideas or things are separate and distinct from each other. (FORMAL) ...instruction manuals that break down jobs into scores of discrete steps. = separate, distinct ADJ: usu ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Separate, distinct, disjunct, discontinuous. 2. Disjunctive, discretive.

Moby Thesaurus

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