secern

[si-surn]

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verb (used with object)

to discriminate or distinguish in thought.

verb (used without object)

to become secerned.

Origin of secern

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

Related formsse·cern·ment, noun

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

Related Words for secern

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

Examples from the Web for secern

Historical Examples of secern

And still less is he able to secern the truth from the falsehood, or to weigh the probabilities of conflicting testimony.
Account of a Tour in Normandy, Vol. I. (of 2)
Dawson Turner

British Dictionary definitions for secern

secern

verb (tr) rare

(of a gland or follicle) to secrete

to distinguish or discriminate

Derived Formssecernment, 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