Distance
/ˈdɪs.təns/noun
The amount of space between two points or things.
Did you know?“Distance” comes through Old French from Latin dis- (“apart”) + stare (“to stand”), so its earliest sense is a state of being made to stand away from something.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steh₂-
“to stand”
Latin
Latin
dis- + stare
“to stand apart; to keep apart”
Late Latin
Latin
distāntia
“separation; remoteness”
Old French
Old French
distance
“remoteness; interval”
Middle English
English
distaunce
“remoteness; interval”
Modern English
English
distance
“the amount of space between two points or things”