decern
/dɪˈsɝn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To decide or determine (a matter disputed or doubtful), with simple object, with infinitive or object clause, or intransitive.
Obsolete; Transitive verb
verb
To discern; to distinguish or separate by differences (things that differ, or one thing from another).
Obsolete; Transitive verb
verb
To discern; to distinguish or separate by differences (things that differ, or one thing from another).
Intransitive verb; Obsolete; Transitive verb
verb
To see distinctly (with the eyes or the mind); distinguish (an object or fact); discern.
Example Sentences
Etymology
First attested in late Middle English circa 1425; from the French décerner, from the Latin dēcernō (“to decide, pronounce a decision”), from dē (“of, from, away from”) + cernō (“to separate, distinguish”), whence the English cern. In Old French, the forms of décerner were frequently conflated with those of descerner, discerner; the two verbs were not clearly distinguished until the 16th century; hence, in English also, decern is found with the sense discern.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: décerner, dēcernō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈsɝn/
- British English: /dɪˈsɜːn/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Frequently Paired Words
decernent