keep at a distance


the interval between two points of time; an extent of time: His vacation period was a good distance away.
a distant point, place, or region.
absence of warmth; reserve: Their first meeting in several years was hampered by a certain distance between them.
Music. interval ( def 6 ).
Obsolete. disagreement or dissension; a quarrel.
verb (used with object), distanced, distancing.
to leave behind at a distance, as at a race; surpass.
to place at a distance.
to cause to appear distant.
go the distance,
Informal. to finish or complete something, especially something difficult, challenging, or requiring sustained effort.
keep one's distance, to avoid becoming familiar or involved; remain cool or aloof.

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin distantia, equivalent to distant- (see distant) + -ia -y3; replacing Middle English destaunce < Anglo-French

distanceless, adjective

10. remoteness, restraint, coolness, aloofness. Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
distance (ˈdɪstəns)
1.  the intervening space between two points or things
2.  the length of this gap
3.  the state of being apart in space; remoteness
4.  an interval between two points in time
5.  the extent of progress; advance
6.  a distant place or time: he lives at a distance from his work
7.  a separation or remoteness in relationship; disparity
8.  geometry
 a.  the length of the shortest line segment joining two points
 b.  the length along a straight line or curve
9.  the distance the most distant or a faraway part of the visible scene or landscape
10.  horse racing
 a.  (Brit) a point on a racecourse 240 yards from the winning post
 b.  (Brit) any interval of more than 20 lengths between any two finishers in a race
 c.  (US) the part of a racecourse that a horse must reach in any heat before the winner passes the finishing line in order to qualify for later heats
11.  go the distance
 a.  boxing to complete a bout without being knocked out
 b.  to be able to complete an assigned task or responsibility
12.  keep one's distance to maintain a proper or discreet reserve in respect of another person
13.  the distant parts of a picture, such as a landscape
14.  middle distance
 a.  (in a picture) halfway between the foreground and the horizon
 b.  (in a natural situation) halfway between the observer and the horizon
15.  (modifier) athletics relating to or denoting the longer races, usually those longer than a mile: a distance runner
16.  to hold or place at a distance
17.  to separate (oneself) mentally or emotionally from something
18.  to outdo; outstrip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

late 13c., from O.Fr. destance, from L. distantia "a standing apart," from distantem (nom. distans) "standing apart, separate, distant," prp. of distare "stand apart," from dis- "apart, off" + stare "to stand" (see stet). The figurative sense is the same as in stand-offish.
Phrase go the distance (1930s) seems to be originally from boxing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

distance dis·tance (dĭs'təns)

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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