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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | discerner | — |
| 2 | Latin | discernere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 3 | Latin | cernō | to distinguish, divide, separate, sift |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | krinō | sift, separate; distinguish, discern; decide |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |