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secern
[ si-surn ]
/ sɪˈsɜrn /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object)
to discriminate or distinguish in thought.
verb (used without object)
to become secerned.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
OTHER WORDS FROM secern
se·cern·ment, nounWords nearby secern
Secchi, Secchi depth, Secchi disk, secco, secede, secern, secession, secessionist, sech, Seckel, sec. leg.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use secern in a sentence
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
/ (sɪˈsɜːn) /
verb (tr) rare
(of a gland or follicle) to secrete
to distinguish or discriminate
Derived forms of secern
secernment, nounWord 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
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