certus

certus

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kritos, the original perfect passive participle of *krinō (Latin cernō). Due to the shift in meaning, it was replaced in the verbal paradigm by crētus.[1][2]

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈker.tus/, [ˈkɛrt̪ʊs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃer.tus/, [ˈt͡ʃɛrt̪us]

Adjective

certus (feminine certa, neuter certum, comparative certior, superlative certissimus, adverb certē or certō); first/second-declension adjective

1. certain
2. fixed, settled, firm
3. resolved, determined

   Synonyms: prōmptus, indubius, fixus

   Antonyms: incertus, dubius, suspensus, vagus, anceps

   certum est mihi [+ infinitive] ― it is my decision to..., I am resolved to..., I mean...

4. sure

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	certus	certa	certum		certī	certae	certa
Genitive	certī	certae	certī		certōrum	certārum	certōrum
Dative	certō		certō		certīs
Accusative	certum	certam	certum		certōs	certās	certa
Ablative	certō	certā	certō		certīs
Vocative	certe	certa	certum		certī	certae	certa

Derived terms

• certē
• certō
• certior fīō, certiōrem facere

Descendants

• → Albanian: qartë
• Asturian: ciertu
• Catalan: cert
• Dalmatian: ciart, čertjoin
• → English: certain
• French: certes, certain
• Friulian: ciert, ciertun
• → Old Irish: cert
  • Irish: ceart
  • Manx: kiart
  • Scottish Gaelic: ceart
• Istriot: sierto
• Italian: certo
• Ladin: cert, cërt
• Occitan: cèrt
• Old Portuguese: certo
  • Galician: certo
  • Portuguese: certo
• Romanian: cert
• Romansch: tschert
• Sardinian: certu, tzeltu, tzertu
• Sicilian: certu
• Spanish: cierto
• Venetian: çerto, serto
• → Welsh: certh

References

• “certus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “certus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• certus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• certus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the fixed stars: sidera certis locis infixa
    
  • this much is certain: hoc (not tantum) certum est
    
  • I am quite certain on the point: mihi exploratum est, exploratum (certum) habeo
    
  • I am determined: certum (mihi) est
    
  • I am firmly resolved: certum deliberatumque est
    
  • to impose fixed limitations: fines certos terminosque constituere
    
  • (ambiguous) I know for a fact: certo (certe) scio (Arch. 12. 32)
    
  • (ambiguous) this much I can vouch for: illud pro certo affirmare licet
    
  • (ambiguous) to be based on a sound principle: a certa ratione proficisci
    
• certus in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

1. “certo” in: Alberto Nocentini, Alessandro Parenti, “l'Etimologico — Vocabolario della lingua italiana”, Le Monnier, 2010, →ISBN
2. De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cernō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN