discrete
adjective
Simple meaning
Having separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dihskreetSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dɪskˈɹit
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
electrical engineering
Having separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors, as opposed to integrated circuitry.
audio engineering
Having separate and independent channels of audio, as opposed to multiplexed stereo or quadraphonic, or other multi-channel sound.
That can be perceived individually, not as connected to, or part of, something else.
Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous.
mathematics
Consisting of or permitting only distinct values drawn from a finite, countable set.
Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (electrical engineering) Having separate electronic components, such as individual diodes, transistors and resistors, as opposed to integrated circuitry.
Used this way, discrete is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is an engineering use: it is a working term used for accuracy on the job.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Science
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.