Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Constituting a separate thing: synonym: distinct.
- adjective Consisting of unconnected distinct parts.
- adjective Mathematics Defined for a finite or countable set of values; not continuous.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To separate; discontinue.
- Separate; distinct from others; individual: opposed to concrete.
- Consisting of distinct or individual parts; not continuous.
- In Med., opposed to confluent: as, discrete exanthemata.
- In botany, not coalescent; distinct.
- Disjunctive; consisting of parts united by some extrinsic bond of connection. Thus, the notion of “women, sailors, and idiots” is a discrete notion.
- Discretive; containing exceptions, real or apparent.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb obsolete To separate.
- adjective Separate; distinct; disjunct.
- adjective Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause.
- adjective (Bot.) Separate; not coalescent; -- said of things usually coalescent.
- adjective See Concrete movement of the voice, under
Concrete , a. - adjective 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 tocontinued orcontinual proportion ; as, 3:6::12:24. - adjective that which must be divided into units, as number, and is opposed to
continued quantity , as duration, or extension.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Separate ;distinct ;individual ; Non-continuous . - adjective That can be perceived individually and not as connected to, or part of something else.
- adjective electrical engineering Having separate electronic components, such as individual resistors and inductors — the opposite of integrated circuitry.
- adjective audio engineering Having separate and independent channels of audio, as opposed to
multiplexed stereo or quadraphonic, or other multi-channel sound. - adjective topology Having each
singleton subset open : said of atopological space or atopology .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective constituting a separate entity or part
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word discrete.
Examples
-
Ecosystem is a conglomerate of biological and physical processes interacting to produce what we identify as a discrete unit of nature--e.g., the Everglades, a rainforest, a watershed.
Archive 2007-02-01 2007
-
Ecosystem is a conglomerate of biological and physical processes interacting to produce what we identify as a discrete unit of nature--e.g., the Everglades, a rainforest, a watershed.
-
Again, moderator, go to merriam-webster. com, do a search, and realize that "discrete" is the word you wanted above, not "discreet."
-
These electrons reside in discrete energy levels, or electron orbits, around the nucleus.
A nice blog review of Lost in Translation ewillett 2010
-
But this is discrete from the experience of the decisions themselves.
A Coda on Free Will 2009
-
These electrons reside in discrete energy levels, or electron orbits, around the nucleus.
The laser at 50 ewillett 2010
-
The story unfolds in discrete scenes, many of which last only as long as one action (looking over a parapet, turning a page), very much like comic panels.
The Golem deliasherman 2010
-
Some political parties have made it a central focus, over the past fifty years, to convince certain discrete groups that they MUST be unhappy, that they are poor and poverty-locked even though they suffer no hunger or exposure or physical insecurity.
-
The story unfolds in discrete scenes, many of which last only as long as one action (looking over a parapet, turning a page), very much like comic panels.
The Golem deliasherman 2010
-
They operate in discrete cells, but their overarching goals and higher command structure remain a mystery.
‘Chuck’ Episode 3.04: ‘Chuck Versus Operation Awesome’ Recap » MTV Movies Blog 2010
teradome commented on the word discrete
Discrete = ("No, it is *not* the same as 'discreet'") x (More times than I can remember)
February 9, 2007
oroboros commented on the word discrete
diScrETe. Separate v. together.
May 14, 2008
heidikraut commented on the word discrete
when you mean discreet
May 19, 2009
EditorMark commented on the word discrete
"Discrete" means distinct or separate (the island of Crete is a discrete part of Greece). "Discreet" means quietly careful or judicious.
September 12, 2011
oroboros commented on the word discrete
Discrete v. discreet.
Most of us can testify to it. After two or three heaping portions of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and Waldorf salad you’re bursting at the seams. You’re so sated that you had to discretely place a crumpled napkin over that uneaten turkey wing on your plate. --Ingrid Spilde
Despite the usage gaff, the article Why You Always Have Room for Dessert is an interesting read.
December 30, 2011
mohitanand commented on the word discrete
constituting a separate entity or part
What was once known as Czechoslovakia has since split into two discrete, independent nations
October 19, 2016