Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
discern. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
discern, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
discern in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
discern you have here. The definition of the word
discern will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
discern, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to separate”); see certain.
Pronunciation
(modern pronunciation)
(older pronunciation)
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, archived from the original on 12 April 2012: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.
- (transitive) To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
1842, Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation, archived from the original on 19 May 2011: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.
- (transitive) To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate.
He was too young to discern right from wrong.
1651, Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, archived from the original on 7 June 2011: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.
- (intransitive) To perceive differences.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes
- Bulgarian: съзирам (bg) (sǎziram)
- Czech: všimnout si (cs) pf, všímat si impf, vnímat (cs) impf, zpozorovat (cs) pf, zaznamenat (cs) pf
- Finnish: huomata (fi), havaita (fi), (with eyes) nähdä (fi)
- French: discerner (fr)
- Galician: albiscar (gl), aperceber
- German: erkennen (de), wahrnehmen (de), bemerken (de), feststellen (de), merken (de), mitbekommen (de)
- Italian: percepire (it)
- Korean: 인지하다 (ko) (injihada)
- Latin: dispicio, dispecto, prospicio
- Polish: dostrzec (pl), dostrzegać (pl), zauważyć (pl), zauważać (pl)
- Portuguese: perceber (pt)
- Romanian: discerne (ro), percepe (ro)
- Russian: распознава́ть (ru) impf (raspoznavátʹ), распозна́ть (ru) pf (raspoznátʹ), различа́ть (ru) impf (različátʹ), различи́ть (ru) pf (različítʹ)
- Slovak: zbadať, všimnúť si, spozorovať
- Spanish: percibir (es), sensar
- Swedish: urskilja (sv)
|
to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry
- Bulgarian: забелязвам (bg) (zabeljazvam)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 察覺/察觉 (caat3 kok3)
- Czech: uvědomit si (cs) pf, uvědomovat si impf, pochopit (cs) pf, chápat (cs) impf
- Finnish: havaita (fi)
- Galician: cousir, decerner
- German: erkennen (de), verstehen (de), herauslesen, wahrnehmen (de)
- Greek: διακρίνω (el) (diakríno)
- Latin: dispicio, dispecto
- Portuguese: discernir (pt)
- Slovak: uvedomiť si, pochopiť
- Spanish: vislumbrar (es), discernir (es), sensar
- Swedish: urskilja (sv)
|
to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate
- Bengali: পৃথকীকরণ (prithkikron)
- Bulgarian: разпознавам (bg) (razpoznavam), различавам (bg) (različavam)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 辨別/辨别 (bin6 bit6)
- Czech: odlišit pf, rozeznat pf, rozeznávat impf, odlišovat (cs) impf, rozlišovat (cs) impf
- Dutch: onderscheiden (nl)
- Finnish: erottaa (fi)
- Galician: decerner, disterar, acolumbrar, diferenciar (gl), estremar (gl)
- German: unterscheiden (de)
- Greek: διακρίνω (el) (diakríno)
- Korean: 식별하다 (ko) (sikbyeolhada)
- Latin: dispicio, dispecto, internoscō
- Polish: rozróżniać (pl), rozróżnić (pl)
- Portuguese: discernir (pt), distinguir (pt), diferenciar (pt)
- Sanskrit: वेवेक्ति (vevekti)
- Slovak: rozoznať, rozlíšiť
- Spanish: discernir (es), sensar
- Swedish: skilja (sv)
|
Translations to be checked
Anagrams