Distance \Dis"tance\, n. [F. distance, L. distantia.]
1. The space between two objects; the length of a line,
especially the shortest line joining two points or things
that are separate; measure of separation in place.
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Every particle attracts every other with a force . .
. inversely proportioned to the square of the
distance. --Sir I.
Newton.
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2. Remoteness of place; a remote place.
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Easily managed from a distance. --W. Irving.
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'T is distance lends enchantment to the view. --T.
Campbell.
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[He] waits at distance till he hears from Cato.
--Addison.
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3. (Racing) A space marked out in the last part of a race
course.
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The horse that ran the whole field out of distance.
--L'Estrange.
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Note: In trotting matches under the rules of the American
Association, the distance varies with the conditions of
the race, being 80 yards in races of mile heats, best
two in three, and 150 yards in races of two-mile heats.
At that distance from the winning post is placed the
distance post. If any horse has not reached this
distance post before the first horse in that heat has
reached the winning post, such horse is distanced, and
disqualified for running again during that race.
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4. (Mil.) Relative space, between troops in ranks, measured
from front to rear; -- contrasted with interval, which
is measured from right to left. "Distance between
companies in close column is twelve yards." --Farrow.
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5. Space between two antagonists in fencing. --Shak.
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6. (Painting) The part of a picture which contains the
representation of those objects which are the farthest
away, esp. in a landscape.
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Note: In a picture, the
Middle distance is the central portion between the
foreground and the distance or the extreme distance. In a
perspective drawing, the
Point of distance is the point where the visual rays meet.
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7. Ideal disjunction; discrepancy; contrariety. --Locke.
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8. Length or interval of time; period, past or future,
between two eras or events.
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Ten years' distance between one and the other.
--Prior.
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The writings of Euclid at the distance of two
thousand years. --Playfair.
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9. The remoteness or reserve which respect requires; hence,
respect; ceremoniousness.
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I hope your modesty
Will know what distance to the crown is due.
--Dryden.
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'T is by respect and distance that authority is
upheld. --Atterbury.
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10. A withholding of intimacy; alienation; coldness;
disagreement; variance; restraint; reserve.
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Setting them [factions] at distance, or at least
distrust amongst themselves. --Bacon.
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On the part of Heaven,
Now alienated, distance and distaste. --Milton.
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11. Remoteness in succession or relation; as, the distance
between a descendant and his ancestor.
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12. (Mus.) The interval between two notes; as, the distance
of a fourth or seventh.
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Angular distance, the distance made at the eye by lines
drawn from the eye to two objects.
Lunar distance. See under Lunar.
North polar distance (Astron.), the distance on the heavens
of a heavenly body from the north pole. It is the
complement of the declination.
Zenith distance (Astron.), the arc on the heavens from a
heavenly body to the zenith of the observer. It is the
complement of the altitude.
To keep one's distance, to stand aloof; to refrain from
familiarity.
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If a man makes me keep my distance, the comfort is
he keeps his at the same time. --Swift.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Distance \Dis"tance\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distanced; p. pr. &
vb. n. Distancing.]
1. To place at a distance or remotely.
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I heard nothing thereof at Oxford, being then miles
distanced thence. --Fuller.
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2. To cause to appear as if at a distance; to make seem
remote.
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His peculiar art of distancing an object to
aggrandize his space. --H. Miller.
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3. To outstrip by as much as a distance (see Distance, n.,
3); to leave far behind; to surpass greatly.
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He distanced the most skillful of his
contemporaries. --Milner.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
distance
n 1: the property created by the space between two objects or
points
2: a distant region; "I could see it in the distance"
3: size of the gap between two places; "the distance from New
York to Chicago"; "he determined the length of the
shortest line segment joining the two points" [syn: length]
4: indifference by personal withdrawal; "emotional distance"
[syn: aloofness]
5: the interval between two times; "the distance from birth to
death"; "it all happened in the space of 10 minutes" [syn:
space]
6: a remote point in time; "if that happens it will be at some
distance in the future"; "at a distance of ten years he
had forgotten many of the details"
v 1: keep at a distance; "we have to distance ourselves from
these events in order to continue living"
2: go far ahead of; "He outdistanced the other runners" [syn: outdistance,
outstrip]
WordNet (r) 2.0
136 Moby Thesaurus words for "distance":
aloofness, ambit, amplitude, angle, area, arena, back, backdrop,
background, backwardness, base, bashfulness, blankness, breadth,
chill, chilliness, coldness, compass, constraint, coolness, detach,
detachment, difference, disassociate, discreetness, discretion,
dissemblance, dissimilitude, dissociate, distinction, divergence,
divergency, expansion, expressionlessness, extension, extent,
field, footage, footing, frigidity, frostiness, gap, get ahead of,
ground, guardedness, haughtiness, hauteur, hinterland,
hold the field, iciness, impassiveness, impassivity, impersonality,
inaccessibility, infinity, interval, introversion, leave behind,
length, lengthiness, linear measures, locale, long time, longitude,
longness, measure, mileage, mise-en-scene, modesty, offishness,
orbit, otherness, outdistance, outpace, outrun, overall length,
overpass, pass, perpetuity, perspective, piece, post, purview,
radius, range, reach, rear, remoteness, repression, reserve,
reservedness, restraint, reticence, reticency, retirement,
rigidity, scene, scope, seat, separate, setting, shoot ahead of,
size, space, span, spell, spread, stage, stage set, stage setting,
stand, standing, standoffishness, station, status, steal a march,
stiffness, stretch, subduedness, suppression, surpass, sweep,
theater, unaffability, unapproachability, uncongeniality,
undemonstrativeness, unexpansiveness, unlikeness, venue, viewpoint,
way, ways, withdrawal, withdrawnness, yardage
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
DISTANCE, n. The only thing that the rich are willing for the poor to
call theirs, and keep.
THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993)
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