secern

American

[si-surn] / sɪˈsɜrn /

verb (used with object)

to discriminate or distinguish in thought.

verb (used without object)

to become secerned.

secern British

/ sɪˈsɜːn /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

secernment noun

Etymology

Origin of secern

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin sēcernere, from sē- se- + cernere “to decide, separate, sift” ( discern )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Now and again, one of them, flushed with triumph, would secern himself from his troupe, and would 'star' round the country for his livelihood.

From Yet Again by Beerbohm, Max, Sir

And still less is he able to secern the truth from the falsehood, or to weigh the probabilities of conflicting testimony.

From Account of a Tour in Normandy, Volume 1 by Turner, Dawson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023