secern

[ si-surn ]
/ sɪˈsɜrn /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR secern ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to discriminate or distinguish in thought.

verb (used without object)

to become secerned.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of secern

1620–30; < Latin sēcernere, equivalent to sē- se- + cernere to sift (cf. discern)

OTHER WORDS FROM secern

se·cern·ment, noun

Words nearby secern

secchi, secchi depth, secchi disk, secco, secede, secern, secernentasida, secession, secessionist, sech, sechenov
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to secern

detect, foresee, anticipate, perceive, differentiate, determine, ascertain, distinguish, discriminate, divine, rubberneck, notice, espy, separate, read, remark, spot, discover, extricate, focus

Example sentences from the Web for secern

British Dictionary definitions for secern

secern
/ (sɪˈsɜːn) /

verb (tr) rare

(of a gland or follicle) to secrete
to distinguish or discriminate

Derived forms of secern

secernment, noun

Word Origin for secern

C17: from Latin sēcernere to separate, from sē- apart + cernere to distinguish
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