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# discrete

adjective

«discrete» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Separate and distinct; made of parts that are clearly apart from each other. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#m1)
2. (maths) Discrete data can only take certain values, usually whole numbers that you count, like the number of pets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#m2)

### In the lessons

In maths and statistics, discrete data are counted (shoes, goals, children) while continuous data are measured (height, time); in science, discrete steps or parts; phrases: «discrete data», «discrete steps», «discrete parts».

### Examples

- The number of goals in a match is discrete data. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x1)
- Height is continuous, but the number of children in a class is discrete. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x2)
- The project has three discrete stages. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x3)
- Shoe sizes are discrete: you cannot buy size 4.37. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x4)
- The tablet split the job into discrete tasks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x5)
- Draw a bar chart with gaps for discrete data. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x6)
- The puzzle had discrete pieces that fitted together. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/#x7)

### Note

Homophone trap: «discrete» (separate) vs «discreet» (careful, tactful). Tip: in «discrete» the «t» separates the two «e»s, just as the word means separate. Maths: discrete values are countable, usually whole numbers; bar charts for discrete data have gaps.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «discrete» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discrete/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«discrete» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/discrete.html) on Mova free.