distinctive

Meanings

1. Distinguishing, used to or enabling the distinguishing of some thing.
2. Discriminating, discerning, having the ability to distinguish between things.
3. Characteristic, typical.
4. Distinguished, being distinct in character or position.
5. Used to separate clauses in place of stops.
6. Distinguishing a particular sense of word.

1. A distinctive thing: a quality or property permitting distinguishing; a characteristic.
2. A distinctive accent.
3. A distinctive belief, tenet, or dogma of a denomination or sect.

Etymology

From Latin distinctus, perfect passive participle of distinguere (“to push apart, to divide”), + -ive (forming adjectives signifying relation or tendency to). Cognate with French distinctif and Medieval Latin distinctivus.