diffĕrentĭa

I. a difference, diversity (cf.: discrepantia, distantia, discrimen, diversitas, variatio—good prose, esp. freq. in Quint.).

(a). With gen.: honesti et decori, Cic. Off. 1, 27, 94: naturarum, id. ib. 1, 31, 112: morum, Petr. 84, 1: personarum, locorum temporumque, Quint. 12, 10, 70: nostri Graecique sermonis, id. 9, 4, 146 et saep.—In plur.: Graeci sermonis, Quint. 11, 2, 50.—

(b). With in: quanta differentia est in principiis naturalibus, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 19; Quint. 3, 7, 25; 3, 8, 37; 7, 2, 48 et saep.—

(g). Absol.: ut facies infinitam habet differentiam, Quint. 11, 3, 18; so id. 9, 4, 45.—

II. Esp. a species: genus est notio ad pluris differentias pertinens, Cic. Top. 7, 31; cf.: definitionem omnem ex genere et differentia consistere, Gell. 4, 1, 10.