Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “discernen” come from?

discernen (Middle English) comes from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere, from Latin cernō, from Proto-Italic krinō, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

Ancestry of “discernen”, step by step

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

Words derived from “discernen”

  • discern
  • discerning
  • indiscernible
  • undiscerning
  • discerner
  • discerningly
  • undiscernible
  • discerneth
  • indiscernibly
  • discernest
  • discernability
  • undiscernable
  • undiscernibly
  • undiscerningly
  • indiscernibleness
  • nondiscerning
  • discerningness
  • discernance
  • undiscernibleness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →