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
- certain; certain; certainty; certain: a...
Ancestry of “certain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | certain | certain; sure |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | certanus | certain |
| 3 | Latin | certus | certain; fixed, settled, firm; resolved,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |
Words derived from “certain”