Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “excern” come from?

excern (English) comes from Latin excernō, from Latin cernō, from Proto-Italic krinō, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

excern (English): excrete; give off

Definitions

  1. excrete; give off

Ancestry of “excern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinexcernō—
2Latincernō—
3Proto-Italickrinōsift, separate; distinguish, discern; decide
4Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →