distant

[ dis-tuhnt ]
/ ˈdɪs tənt /

adjective

far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed (often followed by from): a distant place; a town three miles distant from here.
apart or far off in time: distant centuries past.
remote or far apart in any respect: a distant relative.
reserved or aloof; not familiar or cordial: a distant greeting.
arriving from or going to a distance, as a communication, journey, etc.: I have here a distant letter from Japan.

Origin of distant

1350–1400; Middle English dista(u)nt (< Anglo-French) < Latin distant- (stem of distāns, present participle of distāre to stand apart), equivalent to di- di-2 + stā- stand + -nt- present participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM distant

Example sentences from the Web for distant

British Dictionary definitions for distant

distant
/ (ˈdɪstənt) /

adjective

far away or apart in space or time
(postpositive) separated in space or time by a specified distance
apart in relevance, association, or relationship a distant cousin
coming from or going to a faraway place a distant journey
remote in manner; aloof
abstracted; absent a distant look

Derived forms of distant

distantly, adverb distantness, noun

Word Origin for distant

C14: from Latin distāre to be distant, from dis- 1 + stāre to stand