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distribution

 
Dictionary: dis·tri·bu·tion   (dĭs'trə-byū'shən) pronunciation

n.
  1. The act of distributing or the condition of being distributed; apportionment.
  2. Something distributed; an allotment.
  3. The act of dispersing or the condition of being dispersed; diffusion.
    1. The geographic occurrence or range of an organism.
    2. The geographic occurrence or range of a custom, usage, or other feature.
  4. Division into categories; classification.
  5. The process of marketing and supplying goods, especially to retailers.
  6. A spatial or temporal array of objects or events: the distribution of theaters on Broadway.
  7. Law. The division of an estate or property among rightful heirs.
  8. Statistics. A set of numbers and their frequency of occurrence collected from measurements over a statistical population.
  9. Mathematics. A generalized function used in the study of partial differential equations.
distributional dis'tri·bu'tion·al adj.

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Statistics Dictionary: distribution
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The set of values of a set of data, possibly grouped into classes, together with their frequencies or relative frequencies. In the case of random variables the distribution is the set of possible values together with their probabilities in the discrete case and the probability density function in the case of a continuous variable.



(1) Software ready to install. It often refers to a "Linux distribution," which is the Linux OS combined with installation programs, documentation and various utilities in one package. See Linux distribution.

(2) An English word that means "dissemination" or delivering something.

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Marketing Dictionary: distribution
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Magazines: total number of copies distributed of a particular magazine issue. See also circulation.

Merchandising:

1. Extent to which an item of merchandise is carried by retailers relative to the total number of retailers who could carry the item. See also exclusive distribution; open distribution; selective distribution.

2. All elements of the system of delivery of merchandise to customers from the manufacturer or wholesaler, including retailers, brokers, transportation companies, advertising agencies, and so forth; also called distribution channel. See also channel of distribution; middleman.

Business Dictionary: Distribution
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1. In corporate finance, allocation of income and expenses to the appropriate Subsidiary accounts.

2. In economics, (1) movement of goods from manufacturers, or (2) way in which wealth is shared in any particular economic system.

3. In Estate law, parceling out of assets to the Beneficiaries named in a Will, as carried out by the Executor under the guidance of a court.

4. In Mutual Funds and closed-end investment companies, payout of realized capital gains on securities in the Portfolio of the fund or closed-end investment company.

5. In Securities, sale of a large block of stock in such a manner that the price is not adversely affected. Technical analysts look at a pattern of distribution as a tipoff that the stock will soon fall in price. The opposite of distribution, known as accumulation, may signal a rise in price.

Thesaurus: distribution
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noun

  1. The act of distributing or the condition of being distributed: admeasurement, allocation, assignment, apportionment, dispensation, division. See collect/distribute.
  2. The passing out or spreading about of something: circulation, dispersal, dispersion, dissemination. See collect/distribute.
  3. A way or condition of being arranged: arrangement, categorization, classification, deployment, disposal, disposition, formation, grouping, layout, lineup, order, organization, placement, sequence. See order/disorder.

Antonyms: distribution
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n

Definition: allocation, dispersion
Antonyms: collection, gathering, hoard, hoarding, maintenance, store


Hacker Slang: distribution
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1. A software source tree packaged for distribution; but see kit. Since about 1996 unqualified use of this term often implies ‘Linux distribution’. The short form distro is often used for this sense.

2. A vague term encompassing mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups (but not BBS fora); any topic-oriented message channel with multiple recipients.

3. An information-space domain (usually loosely correlated with geography) to which propagation of a Usenet message is restricted; a much-underutilized feature.


Geography Dictionary: distribution
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1. The physical layout of a feature over an area, such as forest land.

2. The function of tertiary industry in delivering goods, that is wholesaling, warehousing, and retailing.

3. The spread of varying observations within a population.

Architecture: distribution
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The movement of freshly mixed concrete toward the point of placement, either by motorized tools or by hand.


 
Columbia Encyclopedia: distribution
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distribution, in economics, the allocation of a society's total wealth among various economic groups. Distribution, in that sense, does not refer to the physical marketing or circulation of goods, which is part of the process of exchange, but to the relative well-being and economic wealth of persons and groups. By classifying people according to their share of the distribution-usually by means of relative income-a picture of society's stratification, and thus its structure, may emerge. Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto developed (1897) one of the best-known theories on the subject, arguing that a pattern of income distribution is evident throughout history, in all societies. Inequalities in distribution are related to inequalities in political power; in most societies, the economically dominant strata tend also to be politically dominant. The division of labor, which necessitates exchange, causes various problems of distribution. Inequalities in distribution among industrial groups making a common product are explained by the relative number employed in each group when compared to the value of what they produce or to the relative amount they get for a specific amount of work. Unequal distribution arises also from inequality in reward to those in the same industrial classification (capitalist, manager, or laborer). The distribution of wealth between the capitalist and manager on the one hand and the laborer on the other has been a major source of social strife in the Western world since the French Revolution, and has been a particularly important theme in the writings of Karl Marx and his followers. Labor unions (see union, labor), through the use of political and economic pressure, have striven for increased wages. The distribution of the world's wealth has, since World War II, become a major issue in international politics, especially as those nations that had previously been the colonized suppliers of raw materials to the industrialized countries have gained political independence and embarked on development programs. In the United States, the National Bureau of Economic Research has done important studies on the distribution of wealth among economic groups.

Bibliography

See F. Levy, Dollars and Dreams: The Changing American Income Distribution (1988); K. M. Perkins, Production, Distribution, and Growth in Transitional Economies (1988).


Law Dictionary: Distribution
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A distribution is a payment in cash or in property by an entity to the owner of such entity. For example, when a corporation pays a dividend to its shareholder, such payment of a dividend constitutes a corporate distribution. See also descent and distribution; secondary distribution.

corporate distribution a distribution by a corporation to its shareholders. If the corporation has current or accumulated earnings and profits, such distribution constitutes a dividend to the shareholders. To the extent the distribution exceeds earnings and profits, distribution constitutes a return of basis to the shareholder and to the extent that it exceeds basis, such distribution constitutes the equivalent of a receipt of property or cash as a result of a sale or exchange of the stock. I.R.C. §301. A corporate distribution is not deductible by the corporation.

partnership distribution a distribution by a partnership to its partners. A partnership, as a non-taxpaying entity, has all of its income taxed to its partners. It reduces the basis of the partner's interest in the partnership; such distribution is not taxable unless it exceeds the partner's basis. I.R.C. §§705, 731. If the distribution does exceed his basis and is in cash, the partner is taxed as if the distribution were an amount realized from the sale or exchange of the partner's interest in the partnership; if the distribution is of property, it is not taxed to the partner, and the partner receives a carryover basis in the property. I.R.C. §732.

ratable distribution see ratable [ratable distribution].

trust distribution a distribution by a trust to the beneficiaries of the trust. If a trust has current or accumulated income of a character which may be distributable to the beneficiaries [generally, ordinary income] such a distribution is taxed to the beneficiary as ordinary income and deductible by the trust. I.R.C. §§643(a), 651, 652, 661 and 662. If such trust does not have distributable income, then it is considered to be a distribution of corpus to the beneficiaries of the trust and not income to such beneficiaries.

Economics Dictionary: distribution
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The process of marketing and merchandising goods. Also, the way in which wealth or goods or services are allotted, as in the distribution of wealth.

Military Dictionary: distribution
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(DOD) 1. The arrangement of troops for any purpose, such as a battle, march, or maneuver. 2. A planned pattern of projectiles about a point. 3. A planned spread of fire to cover a desired frontage or depth. 4. An official delivery of anything, such as orders or supplies. 5. The operational process of synchronizing all elements of the logistic system to deliver the "right things" to the "right place" at the "right time" to support the geographic combatant commander. 6. The process of assigning military personnel to activities, units, or billets.

Word Tutor: distribution
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A way of giving out something.

pronunciation After the distribution of milk and cookies, the room became quiet.

Wikipedia: Distribution
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Contents

Distribution may refer to:

In mathematics, science, and technology

In mathematics

In science

In technology and computer science

In economics

Other uses

See also



Translations: Distribution
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - uddeling, fordeling, udbredelse, sortering, varefordeling, samfundsgodernes fordeling

Nederlands (Dutch)
distributie, verspreiding, uitkering, schenking, verdeling, uitdeling, indeling

Français (French)
n. - distribution, répartition

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verteilung, Austeilung, Vertrieb, Zuteilung, Einteilung, Ausschüttung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - διανομή (σε πλήθος), κατανομή, μοιρασιά, άπλωμα, σκόρπισμα (σε έκταση), εξάπλωση

Italiano (Italian)
versamento, distribuzione, consegna

Português (Portuguese)
n. - distribuição (f), classificação (f)

Русский (Russian)
дистрибуция, распределение, доставка

Español (Spanish)
n. - distribución, reparto, diseminación, dispersión, entrega

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - utdelning, indelning, spridning

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
分配, 配给物, 分发

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 分配, 配給物, 分發

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 공급, 분류, 배열, 유통

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 分配, 配布, 分布, 流通

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) توزيع, توزع, تفريق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חלוקה, תפוצה, התפלגות, הפצה‬


Best of the Web: distribution
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Some good "distribution" pages on the web:


Math
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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