discern
English
Etymology
From Middle English discernen, borrowed from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to separate”); see certain.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n
(modern pronunciation)
- (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈsɜːn/
- (US) IPA(key): /dɪˈsɝn/
Audio (US) (file)
(older pronunciation)
- (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈzɜːn/
- (US) IPA(key): /dɪˈzɝn/
Verb
discern (third-person singular simple present discerns, present participle discerning, simple past and past participle discerned)
- (transitive) To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.
- 1875, Jules Verne you are no HELP!, chapter 1, in The Survivors of the Chancellor:
- Meanwhile the brig had altered her tack, and was moving slowly to the east. Three hours later and the keenest eye could not have discerned her top-sails above the horizon.
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- (transitive) To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
- 1842, Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation:
- If they discern any evidences of wrong-going in any direction that I have indicated, they will acknowledge that I had reason in what I wrote. If they discern no such thing, they will consider me altogether mistaken.
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- (transitive) To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate.
- 1651, Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan:
- The severity of judgement, they say, makes men censorious and unapt to pardon the errors and infirmities of other men: and on the other side, celerity of fancy makes the thoughts less steady than is necessary to discern exactly between right and wrong.
- He was too young to discern right from wrong.
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- (intransitive) To perceive differences.
Synonyms
- (detect with the senses): See also Thesaurus:perceive
- (especially with the eyes): behold, see; see also Thesaurus:see
- (perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind): ken, spy; see also Thesaurus:spot
- (distinguish something as being different): discriminate, distinguish; see also Thesaurus:tell apart
Derived terms
- discernible
- discernment
- indiscernible
Related terms
▼ <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_terms_derived_from_the_PIE_root_*krey-' title='Category:English terms derived from the PIE root *krey-'>English terms derived from the PIE root *krey-</a> (0 c, 35 e)
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/biocriminology' title='biocriminology'>biocriminology</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/concern' title='concern'>concern</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/concernable' title='concernable'>concernable</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/crime' title='crime'>crime</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/crimebuster' title='crimebuster'>crimebuster</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminal' title='criminal'>criminal</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalisation' title='criminalisation'>criminalisation</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalist' title='criminalist'>criminalist</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalistics' title='criminalistics'>criminalistics</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminality' title='criminality'>criminality</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalization' title='criminalization'>criminalization</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalize' title='criminalize'>criminalize</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminally' title='criminally'>criminally</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminalness' title='criminalness'>criminalness</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminate' title='criminate'>criminate</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/crimination' title='crimination'>crimination</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminologist' title='criminologist'>criminologist</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminology' title='criminology'>criminology</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminous' title='criminous'>criminous</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/criminousness' title='criminousness'>criminousness</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/cybercriminal' title='cybercriminal'>cybercriminal</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/decriminalization' title='decriminalization'>decriminalization</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/decriminalize' title='decriminalize'>decriminalize</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/discern' title='discern'>discern</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/discreet' title='discreet'>discreet</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/discrete' title='discrete'>discrete</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/discretion' title='discretion'>discretion</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/discretionary' title='discretionary'>discretionary</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/incriminate' title='incriminate'>incriminate</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/incrimination' title='incrimination'>incrimination</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/neurocriminology' title='neurocriminology'>neurocriminology</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/nondiscretionary' title='nondiscretionary'>nondiscretionary</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/recriminalize' title='recriminalize'>recriminalize</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/recriminate' title='recriminate'>recriminate</a>
<a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/recrimination' title='recrimination'>recrimination</a>
Translations
to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes
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to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry
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to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate
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to perceive differences
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Anagrams
- Cinders, cinders, rescind