Recently, while composing a short piece, I found myself stumbling over the usage of the word 'different'. Is something different than, or different from whatever I wish to compare it to? I embarrassed myself by opening Google and looking it up -- it is embarrassing to have to submit one's ignorance to the suggestion of rank amateurs, or, as the Urban Dictionary might term, 'wannabes'.
Thankfully, those inner-storage parts of my recalcitrant -- stubborn, slow and grumblesome -- brain managed to catch up with my faltering intellect, and reminded me of an excellent touchstone, which I hereby commend to the attention of my readers.
When in doubt, trace the word to its root or source.
Different.
The source-word (for our current purpose) is differ, which is used to specify that the [two] subjects in question cannot compare, due to their unalike features. Something differs in nature or kind from something else. It differs, therefore it is different. (The accent really ought to be placed more firmly upon the second syllable, rather than allowing it to be slurred into 'diff'rent', which conveys little of the original meaning of the word to the modern, if somewhat less-tutored, understanding.)
The suffix '-ent' appended to the word does not actually modify its original grammarial usage; thereby, in stating that something differs from something else, we may safely vouch that it is indeed different from the other it.
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