Definition: An explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity.
Lanham, Richard A. A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms. 2nd ed., Berkeley, University of California P, 2007.
Informal: Distinctio is a device used to clarify the meaning of a word in a particular instance, if it has multiple meanings. An author will usually add this to a sentence if they want the reader to know exactly what definition is being used in that case.
Examples: He will be charged as a juvenile; that is, someone who is under the age of 18.
["juvenile" is the term that is being clarified, the author wants the reader to know specifically that a juvenile means someone under the age of 18, in this instance]
Etymology:
From the Latin, distinctio, distincionis, meaning "distinguishing, distinction, difference"
Nordquist, Richard. "Distinctio Definition." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/distinctio-rhetoric-term-1690470.
Analysis of the Distinctio
LQ