discern means to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes. It carries an Arena rating of 1953, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, discern ranks #71 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #547 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #2,594 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,663 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words.
discern is pronounced /dɪˈsɜːn/.
Why “discern” is a great word
To perceive, recognize, or distinguish something, especially with keen insight or judgment. From Middle English *discernen*, from Old French *discerner*, from Latin *discernere* ("to separate, divide, distinguish"), from *dis-* ("apart") + *cernere* ("to sift, distinguish"). Unlike "see," which registers the mere fact of perception, or "discriminate," which too often sorts by crude category, to discern is to sift the subtle from the obvious. It is the jeweler spotting the one true diamond in a tray of paste, the conductor hearing the single sour note in a swelling orchestra, the archaeologist brushing soil from a buried coin to read its mint—the patient, tactile work of the mind separating signal from noise in a crowded world.
Etymology
From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to distinguish”); see certain.
verb
- To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.e.g.“Meanwhile the brig had altered her tack, and was moving slowly to the east. Three hours later and the keenest eye could not have discerned her top-sails above the horizon.”
- To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
- To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate.e.g.“He was too young to discern right from wrong.”
- To perceive differences.
Words closest in meaning
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