dis·tant / ˈdistənt/ • adj. 1. far away in space or time: distant parts of the world | I remember that distant afternoon. ∎  (after a measurement) at a specified distance: the star is 30,000 light years distant from earth | the town lay half a mile distant. ∎  (of a sound) faint or vague because far away: the distant bark of some farm dog. ∎ fig. remote or far apart in resemblance or relationship: a distant acquaintance. ∎  (of a person) not closely related: a distant cousin.2. (of a person) not intimate; cool or reserved: his children found him strangely distant | she and my father were distant with each other. ∎  remote; abstracted: a distant look in his eyes.ORIGIN: late Middle English: from Latin distant- ‘standing apart,’ from the verb distare, from dis- ‘apart’ + stare ‘stand.’

distant separate XIV; far apart; remote XV. — (O)F. distant or L. distāns, -ant-, prp. of distāre, f. DIS- 1 + stāre STAND.
So distance †discord, dissension XIII; extent of space between objects XV; remoteness XVI. — (O)F. — L. distantia.