Definition of: discriminate

(dis·krim′ə·nāt) v. ·nat·ed, ·nat·ing v.i.
1. To treat someone or something with partiality: with against or in favor of: to discriminate against a group or in favor of a relative.
2. To observe a difference; make a distinction: with between.
—v.t.
3. To discern the difference in or between.
4. To make or constitute a difference in or between: The meter discriminates one poem from the other. See synonyms under CONTRAST, DISCERN, KNOW.
—adjective (-nit)
1. Noting differences; discriminating.
2. Discriminated. [<L discriminatus, pp. of discriminare <discrimen, -inis <dis- apart + cerimen a judgment]
—dis·crim′i·nate·ly adverb
—dis·crim′i·nate·ness noun