distinct

Etymology

From Middle English distincte, from Old French, from Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere (“to distinguish”); see distinguish.

adj

1. Capable of being perceived very clearly.
   Her voice was distinct despite the heavy traffic.
   The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail. 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist
2. Different from one another (with the preferable adposition being "from").
   Horses are distinct from zebras.
   “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant. 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 13, in Well Tackled!
3. Noticeably different from others; distinctive.
   Olga's voice is quite distinct because of her accent.
4. Separate in place; not conjunct or united; with from.
5. (obsolete) Distinguished; having the difference marked; separated by a visible sign; marked out; specified.
6. (obsolete) Marked; variegated.

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To distinguish; to make a distinction.
   Here every means is made use of to do away all distincting between federal and antifederal and I suspect with no very friendly design to the federal cause. 1788, James McHenry, letter to George Washington, 27 July, in The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections 1788–1790, vol. 2, ed. Gordon DenBoer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1984, page 109