differential
noun /ˌdɪfəˈrenʃl/
/ˌdɪfəˈrenʃl/
- differential (between A and B) a difference in the amount, value or size of something, especially the difference in rates of pay for people doing different work in the same industry or profession
- wage/pay/income differentials
- (also differential gear)a gear that makes it possible for a vehicle’s back wheels to turn at different speeds when going around corners
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin differentialis, from Latin differentia ‘difference’from different- ‘carrying away’, from the verb differre, from dis- ‘from, away’ + ferre ‘bring, carry’.