a. Capable of being distributed. Sir W. Jones. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to distribute or be distributed; that distributes; distributive. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Distributed; p. pr. & vb. n. Distributing. ] [ L. distributus, p. p. of distribuere to divide, distribute; dis- + tribuere to assign, give, allot. See Tribute. ] 1. To divide among several or many; to deal out; to apportion; to allot. [ 1913 Webster ]

She did distribute her goods to all them that were nearest of kindred. Judith xvi. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To dispense; to administer; as, to distribute justice. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To divide or separate, as into classes, orders, kinds, or species; to classify; to assort, as specimens, letters, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Printing) (a) To separate (type which has been used) and return it to the proper boxes in the cases. (b) To spread (ink) evenly, as upon a roller or a table. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Logic) To employ (a term) in its whole extent; to take as universal in one premise. [ 1913 Webster ]

A term is said to be distributed when it is taken universal, so as to stand for everything it is capable of being applied to. Whately.

Syn. -- To dispense; deal out; apportion; allot; share; assign; divide. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make distribution. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. spread from a central location to multiple points or recipients. Opposite of concentrated. [ Narrower terms: apportioned, dealt out, doled out, meted out, parceled out; diffuse, diffused; dispensed; dispersed, spread; divided, divided up, shared, shared out on the basis of a plan or purpose); encyclical; rationed; scattered, widespread; sparse, thin; unfocused, unfocussed ] Also See: distributive. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. spread among a variety of securities; -- of investments.
Syn. -- diversified. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

Distributing to the necessity of saints. Rom. xii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, distributes or deals out anything; a dispenser. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That distributes; dealing out. [ 1913 Webster ]

Distributing past office, an office where the mails for a large district are collected to be assorted according to their destination and forwarded. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. distributio: cf. F. distribution. ] 1. The act of distributing or dispensing; the act of dividing or apportioning among several or many; apportionment; as, the distribution of an estate among heirs or children. [ 1913 Webster ]

The phenomena of geological distribution are exactly analogous to those of geography. A. R. Wallace. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Separation into parts or classes; arrangement of anything into parts; disposition; classification. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which is distributed. “Our charitable distributions.” Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Logic) A resolving a whole into its parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Print.) The sorting of types and placing them in their proper boxes in the cases. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Steam Engine) The steps or operations by which steam is supplied to and withdrawn from the cylinder at each stroke of the piston; viz., admission, suppression or cutting off, release or exhaust, and compression of exhaust steam prior to the next admission. [ 1913 Webster ]

Geographical distribution, the natural arrangements of animals and plants in particular regions or districts.

Syn. -- Apportionments; allotment; dispensation; disposal; dispersion; classification; arrangement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to distribution. Huxley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A distributer. [ R. ] Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. distributif. ] 1. Tending to distribute; serving to divide and assign in portions; dealing to each his proper share. “Distributive justice.” Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Logic) Assigning the species of a general term. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gram.) Expressing separation; denoting a taking singly, not collectively; as, a distributive adjective or pronoun, such as each, either, every; a distributive numeral, as (Latin) bini (two by two). [ 1913 Webster ]

Distributive operation (Math.), any operation which either consists of two or more parts, or works upon two or more things, and which is such that the result of the total operation is the same as the aggregated result of the two or more partial operations. Ordinary multiplication is distributive, since a × (b + c) = ab + ac, and (a + b) × c = ac + bc. --
Distributive proportion. (Math.) See Fellowship. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Gram.) A distributive adjective or pronoun; also, a distributive numeral. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By distribution; singly; not collectively; in a distributive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality of being distributive. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] One that distributes; a distributer; specif.: (a) A machine for distributing type. (b) An appliance, as a roller, in a printing press, for distributing ink. (c) An apparatus for distributing an electric current, either to various points in rotation, as in some motors, or along two or more lines in parallel, as in a distributing system. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. To distribute again. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Re*dis`tri*bu"tion n. [1913 Webster]