Where does “certain” come from?

certain (French) comes from Old French certain, from Vulgar Latin certanus, from Latin certus, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

certain (French): certain; certain; certainty; certain: a...

Definitions

  1. certain; certain; certainty; certain: a...

Ancestry of “certain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcertaincertain; sure
2Vulgar Latincertanuscertain
3Latincertuscertain; fixed, settled, firm; resolved,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide

Words derived from “certain”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →Every word from Latin certus →Every word from Vulgar Latin certanus →