undistributed

Everyday

1. Not shared out or given out yet: undistributed money, undistributed food. tree →
2. (business) Profits kept by a company instead of being paid to the owners. tree →
3. (logic) A term not covering all members of its group, as in «the undistributed middle», a mistake in reasoning. tree →

In the lessons

In formal and maths language, «undistributed» is what is left after sharing: if 50 books are given out of 64, 14 are undistributed. In news, aid or vaccines may stay undistributed because of problems. In logic lessons, the «fallacy of the undistributed middle» is a famous wrong argument.

Examples

• The charity had 200 undistributed food parcels. tree →
• Of 64 leaflets, 50 were given out, so 14 remained undistributed. tree →
• The prize money is still undistributed. tree →
• Undistributed profits stay in the company. tree →
• Some medicine stayed undistributed in the warehouse. tree →
• «All cats have legs; all dogs have legs; so all dogs are cats» — the error of the undistributed middle. tree →

Note

Formal. Built from un- + distributed. In maths: undistributed = total − given out. «Distribute» means share out.