Where does “discern” come from?

Discern comes from Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere, combining the prefix dis- with cernere, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to separate or distinguish.

discern (English): To detect with the senses, especially with the...

Definitions

  1. To detect with the senses, especially with the...

Ancestry of “discern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdiscernen—
2Old Frenchdiscerner—
3Latindiscerneresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
4Latincernōto distinguish, divide, separate, sift
5Proto-Italickrinōsift, separate; distinguish, discern; decide
6Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide

Words derived from “discern”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →Every word from Proto-Italic krinō →Every word from Latin cernō →