Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun literary theory, linguistics The endless deferral of any ultimate meaning in a word or sentence, owing to the necessity of recourse to a potentially infinite series of other, equally uncertain words or signs.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French différance ‘deferral’ (coined in this sense by Derrida), from différer ‘to postpone’; but punning on différence ‘difference’.

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Examples

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Comments

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  • Possibly the most pretentious word ever if used in conversation because it's pronounced exactly the same as difference and, well, just you try and explain it without coming across as a total goober.

    January 6, 2008

  • What does it mean?

    January 6, 2008

  • I'm not falling for that.

    I'll let wikipedia look like a goober for me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diff%C3%A9rance

    January 8, 2008

  • I got as far as "Différance is a French neologism coined by Jacques Derrida and homophonous with the word différence." and decided to stop.

    January 8, 2008