discrete
discrete Lexical Profile
discrete Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Individually separate and distinct; consisting of unconnected parts or elements.
"The manufacturing process is divided into four discrete stages, each supervised by a specialist."
Relating to or restricted to isolated, countable values rather than a continuous range (in mathematics, statistics, and computing).
"The number of students in a classroom is a discrete variable because it can only take whole-number values."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with its homophone 'discreet,' which means careful, prudent, or unobtrusive in speech and behavior; 'discrete' specifically means separate and distinct.
• Rhymes for discrete
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'discretus,' the past participle of 'discernere' ('to separate, distinguish'), formed from 'dis-' ('apart') and 'cernere' ('to sift'). It shares the same Latin root as 'discreet,' from which it diverged in spelling and meaning during the early modern English period.