ascertain

[as-er-teyn]

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verb (used with object)

to find out definitely; learn with certainty or assurance; determine: to ascertain the facts.

Archaic. to make certain, clear, or definitely known.

Origin of ascertain

1400–50; late Middle English, variant of assertain, acertain < Middle French acertain- (tonic stem of acertener to make certain), equivalent to a- a-⁵ + certain certain

Related formsas·cer·tain·a·ble, adjectiveas·cer·tain·a·bly, adverbas·cer·tain·er, nounas·cer·tain·ment, nounnon·as·cer·tain·a·ble, adjectivenon·as·cer·tain·a·ble·ness, nounnon·as·cer·tain·a·bly, adverbnon·as·cer·tain·ment, nounpre·as·cer·tain, verb (used with object)pre·as·cer·tain·ment, nounun·as·cer·tain·a·ble, adjectiveun·as·cer·tain·a·bly, adverbun·as·cer·tained, adjectivewell-as·cer·tained, adjective

Synonym study

1. See learn.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ascertain

confirm, verify, determine, divine, double-check, dig, eye, read, fix, discover, tell, see, settle, identify, learn, peg, establish, check, size, eyeball

Examples from the Web for ascertain

Contemporary Examples of ascertain

Last week, a Politico reporter phoned me to ascertain my thoughts on the new war.
Obama’s Iraq Is Not Bush’s Iraq
Michael Tomasky
September 24, 2014
We need a Special Select Committee on Benghazi to ascertain these facts and ensure that such a disaster never occurs again.
Why Democrats Are So Scared of Benghazi
Ron Christie
May 8, 2014
However, there is little existing research to ascertain this, or much else.
Breaking the Silence Over Campus Rapes
Emily Shire
January 23, 2014
I try one final time to ascertain with Bradshaw what is in the ejaculatory mix.
New York’s Naughtiest Show (Maybe Avoid the Front Row)
Tim Teeman
January 18, 2014
For decades, people have been trying to ascertain the difference, but it mostly comes down to a level of taste.
Adult Magazine: The New Female Erotica
Erin Cunningham
November 20, 2013

Historical Examples of ascertain

All efforts to ascertain your fate proved utterly fruitless.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
We did not ascertain this last fact, however, for some time.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
There was a thick fog, so that it was impossible to ascertain what advantage had been gained.
The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
Robert Southey
Is it to ascertain this point that you have done me the honour to visit me?
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
They appraised me in their own minds, I saw, and were curious to ascertain what my full value was.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for ascertain

ascertain

verb (tr)

to determine or discover definitely

archaic to make certain

Derived Formsascertainable, adjectiveascertainably, adverbascertainment, noun

Word Origin for ascertain

C15: from Old French acertener to make certain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ascertain

early 15c., "to inform, to give assurance," from Anglo-French acerteiner, Old French acertener "to assure, certify" (13c.), from a "to" (see ad-) + certain "certain" (see certain). Modern meaning of "find out for sure by experiment or investigation" is first attested 1794. Related: Ascertained; ascertaining.