discern

Where does the word "discern" come from? It comes from Latin discernere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Discern’s story begins in Latin: discernere meant “to sift apart, to distinguish.” To sift apart, to distinguish, from dis- (apart) and cernere (to sift). It reached English by 1300s as discern. Settled as the English word for perceiving or recognizing something clearly. Today, discern means to perceive or recognize something clearly, especially something not obvious.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient discernere "to sift apart, to distinguish", to sift apart, to distinguish, from dis- (apart) and cernere (to sift).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s discern "to perceive or recognize something clearly", settled as the English word for perceiving or recognizing something clearly.