distar
to be distant
verb dees-TAHR Rare
Origin: From Latin distare ('to stand apart'), from dis- + stare ('to stand').
Also means
to be far from
Usage Note
Distar is used almost exclusively in the third person to express physical or figurative distance: el pueblo dista diez kilómetros ('the village is ten kilometres away'). The figurative phrase distar mucho de ('to be far from') expresses disagreement: esto dista mucho de ser perfecto. It is a regular -ar verb but defective in practice.
Examples
"El aeropuerto dista veinte kilómetros del centro."
Natural Translation
The airport is twenty kilometres from the city centre.
Literal Translation
The airport is-distant twenty kilometres from-the centre.
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