What is the meaning of distinguishing?

verb

• Mark as different.
  • usage: "We distinguish several kinds of maple"
  • synonyms: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart
• Detect with the senses.
  • usage: "The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards"; "I can't make out the faces in this photograph"
  • synonyms: spot, recognize, recognise, distinguish, discern, pick out, make out, tell apart
• Be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense.
  • usage: "His modesty distinguishes him from his peers"
  • synonyms: distinguish, mark, differentiate
• Make conspicuous or noteworthy.
  • synonyms: signalize, signalise, distinguish
• Identify as in botany or biology, for example.
  • synonyms: identify, discover, key, key out, distinguish, describe, name