Meaning

noun (statistics) an arrangement of values of a variable showing their observed or theoretical frequency of occurrence

noun the spatial or geographic property of being scattered about over a range, area, or volume

noun the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning

originFrom Old French, from Latin distributio, from distribuere 'to distribute', itself from dis- 'apart' + tribuere 'to' (from tribus). By surface analysis, distribute + -ion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0