distribute

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English

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

From Latin distributus, past participle of distribuere (“to divide, distribute”), from dis- (“apart”) + tribuere (“to give, impart”); see tribute.

Pronunciation

Verb

distribute (third-person singular simple present distributes, present participle distributing, simple past and past participle distributed)

  2. (transitive) To divide into portions and dispense.
    He distributed the bread amongst his followers.
  4. (transitive) To supply to retail outlets.
    The agency distributes newspapers to local shops.
  6. (transitive) To deliver or pass out.
    A network of children distributes flyers to every house.
    • 1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 714:
      Above all, the 48-page timetables of the new service, which have been distributed free at every station in the scheme, are a model to the rest of B.R. For the first time on British Railways, so far as we are aware, a substantial timetable has been produced, not only without a single footnote but also devoid of all wearisome asterisks, stars, letter suffixes and other hieroglyphics.
  8. (transitive) To scatter or spread.
    I raked the soil then distributed grass seed.
  10. (transitive) To apportion (more or less evenly).
    The robot's six legs distributed its weight over a wide area.
  12. (transitive) To classify or separate into categories.
    The database distributed verbs into transitive and intransitive segments.
  14. (intransitive, mathematics) To be distributive.
  15. (printing) To separate (type which has been used) and return it to the proper boxes in the cases.
  16. (printing) To spread (ink) evenly, as upon a roller or a table.
  17. (logic) To employ (a term) in its whole extent; to take as universal in one premise.
    • 1826, Richard Whately, Elements of Logic:
      A term is said to be distributed when it is taken universal, so as to stand for everything it is capable of being applied to.
  18. (business) To have employees working remotely from multiple locations.
    distributed business; distributed employee

Conjugation

Conjugation of distribute
infinitive (to) distribute
present tense past tense
1st-person singular distribute distributed
2nd-person singular distribute, distributest† distributed, distributedst†
3rd-person singular distributes, distributeth† distributed
plural distribute
subjunctive distribute distributed
imperative distribute —
participles distributing distributed

†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

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Translations to be checked

Further reading

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

From distribūtus, participle of distribuō (“distribute, apportion”).

Adverb

distribūtē (comparative distribūtius, superlative distribūtissimē)

  1. orderly, methodically

References

  • “distribute”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, 1st edition. (Oxford University Press)
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