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Spot vs Discriminate - What's the difference?

spot | discriminate |

In transitive terms the difference between spot and discriminate

is that spot is to see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify while discriminate is to set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish.

As a noun spot

is a round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.

As a proper noun Spot

is a popular given name for a dog.

As an adjective discriminate is

having the difference marked; distinguished by certain tokens.

spot

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
    • The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.
  • A stain or disfiguring mark.
    • I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.
  • A pimple, papule or pustule.
    • That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.
    I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots .
  • A small, unspecified amount or quantity.
    • Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch?
  • (slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars.
    • Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot''' and two five '''spots .
  • A location or area.
    • I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.
    For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met.
  • * Milton
    • That spot to which I point is Paradise.
  • * Wordsworth
    • "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is cursed."
  • * 2011 , Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15210221.stm]
    • Yachvilli made it 6-0 with a second sweet strike from 45 metres after Matt Stevens was penalised for collapsing a scrum, and then slid another penalty just wide from the same spot .
  • A parking space.
  • *
  • (sports) An official determination of placement.
    • The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.
  • A bright lamp; a spotlight.
  • (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.
    • Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?
  • Difficult situation; predicament
    • She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter
  • (soccer) penalty spot
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=January 8 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot . }}
  • The act of spotting or noticing something.
    • - You've misspelled "terrapin" here.
    ''- Whoops. Good spot .
  • A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
  • A food fish (Liostomus xanthurus ) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.
  • The southern redfish, or red horse, which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
  • (in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.
  • An autosoliton.

    • Derived terms

    * on the spot * put someone on the spot * sitspot * shot spot * spot check * spot color / spot colour * spot market * spot on * spot remover * spotty * X marks the spot

    Verb

    (spott)
  • To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify
    • Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.
  • (finance) To loan a small amount of money to someone.
    • I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.
  • (ambitransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on).
    • Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.
    a garment spotted with mould
  • To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain.
    • I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting, climbing) To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates.
    • I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me.
  • (dance) To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning.
    • Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do.
  • To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
    • My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
    • If ever I shall close these eyes but once, / May I live spotted for my perjury.
  • To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing.

    • Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * ----

    discriminate

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To make distinctions.
    • Since he was colorblind he was unable to discriminate between the blue and green bottles.
  • To make decisions based on prejudice.
    • The law prohibits discriminating against people based on their skin color.
  • To set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish.
    • (Cowper)
  • * Barrow
    • To discriminate the goats from the sheep.

    Usage notes

    Due to the strong pejorative connotations of sense of “decide based on prejudice”, care should be taken in using the term in the sense “distinguish, make distinctions”, and this sense is primarily used in formal discourse; synonyms are generally used instead.

    Synonyms

    (make distinctions) * distinguish * differentiate

    Derived terms

    * discriminative * discriminatory

    Related terms

    * discriminant * discrimination * indiscriminate

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having the difference marked; distinguished by certain tokens.
    • (Francis Bacon)

    External links

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