Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “discrete” come from?

Discrete comes from Old French discret, from Latin discretus meaning separated or distinct, ultimately from Latin cernere meaning to sift or discern.

discrete (English): Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous;...

Definitions

  1. Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous;...

Ancestry of “discrete”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchdiscretdifferent
2Latindiscrētus—
3Latindiscernō—
4Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
5Latincalceusshoe
6Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
7Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “discrete”

  • discretization
  • discretely
  • discreteness
  • discretisation
  • discretize
  • nondiscrete
  • semidiscrete
  • semidiscretization
  • bidiscrete
  • ultradiscretization
  • discretizational
  • ultradiscrete
  • ultradiscretizing
  • prodiscrete
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →