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distribution Definition

dis·tri·bu·tion (dis′tri byo̵̅o̅s̸hən)

noun

  1. a distributing or being distributed; specif.,
    1. apportionment by law (of funds, property, etc.)
    2. the process by which commodities get to final consumers, including storing, selling, shipping, and advertising
    3. frequency of occurrence or extent of existence
  2. anything distributed; portion; share
  3. the result of distributing; arrangement
  4. Statistics the relative arrangement of the elements of a statistical population based on some criterion, as frequency, time, or location

Etymology: ME distribucioun < L distributio

distribution Related Forms

dis′·tri·bu·tional adjective

distribution Synonyms

distribution

n.

  1. The act of distributing

    dispersal, dispersion, allotment, allocation, partitioning, partition, division, dividing up, assignment, deal, dealing, circulation, disposal, disposing of, apportionment, prorating, rationing, sharing, allowance, arrangement, scattering, diffusion, dissemination, administration, dissipation, sorting, making generally available, assigning by lot, spreading, dispensation, disbursement, giving out, parceling out, doling out, handing out, peddling, delivery, shipping, merchandising; see also sense 2; division 1.

    Antonyms collection*, retention*, storage. *

  2. The result or measure of distributing

    frequency, arrangement, occurrence, disposition, disposal, ordering, grouping, pattern, combination, relationships, appearance, configuration, placement, number, plenty, saturation, population, spread, concentration; see also division 2, order 3.

    Antonyms confusion*, tangle*, puzzle.

distribution Finance Definition

  1. The payment of dividends to shareholders.
  2. The payment of capital gains to mutual fund shareholders.
  3. A company spinning off the shares of another company that it owns or a partial interest in one of its business units.
  4. The ability of an institution to sell new equity or debt issues of a corporation to its clients.

distribution Law Definition

n

At common law, the transfer of personal property to the heirs of an individual who died intestate.

distribution Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • wealth: Death duties should be replaced by a legacy duty, to encourage the wider distribution of wealth.
  • species: Each photograph is accompanied by details of the photographer, date taken, location, and distribution of the species.

Converse of object

  • calculate: Nature of problem: The program calculates angular distributions produced by direct nuclear transfer reactions.
  • predict: Processing models are being developed to predict the distribution of fiber waviness and theoretical models are used to predict the effect on strength.

Adjective modifier

  • spatial: The spatial distribution of the total precipitation anomalies ( bottom panel of Fig.
  • geographical: The results of the research project on the geographical distribution of deprivation in Northern Ireland were published in July 2001.
  • equitable: How can we ensure an equitable distribution of the earth's resources?
  • Gaussian: We recommend using randomize for this, as the above steps are very unlikely to generate nice Gaussian distributions in the data.
  • uneven: Some are concerned with domestic inequalities in wealth possession, while others are concerned with uneven distribution of wealth on a global scale.
  • unequal: Secondary Water Scarcity Failings of management may lead to scarcity with unequal distribution.

Modifies a noun

  • depot: It operates its business through a network of distribution depots located throughout the UK.
  • channel: An expanded medical which insurers traditionally primary distribution channel.
  • network: Other lines owned by Northern Electric provide a distribution network mostly hung from wooden poles.
  • center: Meanwhile, Tesco is to close a distribution center in Darwen, Lancashire, with the loss of 120 jobs.

Noun used with modifier

  • probability: Rather than making a specific prediction, however, the outcome of a match is expressed in the form of a probability distribution.
  • linux: This project would evaluate other linux distributions to see which distibution, or distributions, would best meet our needs.
  • electricity: The buttons on the left take the user to topics of specific relevance to electricity distribution.
  • frequency: You can examine whether or not variables are normally distributed with histograms of frequency distributions.
  • particle: Auto wash between particle size distribution measurements eliminates cross contamination.
  • income: Furthermore, adverse changes in income distribution diminish domestic demand for goods.