distinguishing

Etymology

verb

1. present participle and gerund of distinguish

adj

1. That serves to distinguish.
   It has no obvious distinguishing characteristics, and therefore people are constantly ascribing to it the characteristics of other similar species. 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, page 118
   The distinguishing feature of an acronym is that it is pronounced as if it were a single word, in the manner of NATO and NASA. 2022, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

noun

1. The act by which something is distinguished or told apart.
   There are not only these identifyings going on, but also there are distinguishings. For just as in the example above there are identifications of the various extents, there are distinguishings of these extents. 2012, R. R. Cox, Schutz’s Theory of Relevance: A Phenomenological Critique, page 49