Dictionary

discern en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /dɪˈzɜːn/ (UK)
• /dɪˈsɜːn/ (Australia)
• /dəˈsøːn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /dɪˈsɜːn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /dɪˈzɝn/ (US)
• (English) audio as a second or foreign language
• /dɪˈsɝn/ (Canada, General-American)

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.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.
   • 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. 1875, Jules Verne you are no HELP!, chapter 1, in The Survivors of the Chancellor, archived from the original on 12 Apr 2012:
2. (transitive) To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
   • If they discern any evidences of wrong-going in any direction that I have indicated, they will acknowledge that I had reason in what I wrote. If they discern no such thing, they will consider me altogether mistaken. 1842, Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation, archived from the original on 19 May 2011:
   • General reading readiness is assessed by tests and is also estimated by teachers who are often skillful at discerning just when a pupil is ready to learn to read. The important thing to remember is that jumping the gun is usually self-defeating. 1972, Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 24:
3. (transitive) To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate or discriminate.
   • The severity of judgement, they say, makes men censorious and unapt to pardon the errors and infirmities of other men: and on the other side, celerity of fancy makes the thoughts less steady than is necessary to discern exactly between right and wrong. 1651, Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, archived from the original on 07 Jun 2011:
   • He was too young to discern right from wrong.
4. (intransitive) To perceive differences.

Forms

Deriveds

discernable · discernment · discernance · undiscerned · indiscernible · discernability · discernible · misdiscern

Synonyms

spy · discriminate (distinguish something as being different) · behold · see · ken (perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind) · distinguish

Translations (115)

gl cousir (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · fi nähdä (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · pl zauważyć (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispecto (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de erkennen (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs pochopit (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · nn skimta (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispecto (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · pt discernir (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · la dispicio (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · sk postrehnúť (to perceive differences) · ko 식별하다 (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · es discernir (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · la prospicio (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · bg различавам (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · it percepire (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · ru распознава́ть (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs odlišovat (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · es vislumbrar (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · sk rozlíšiť (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · de bemerken (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de feststellen (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispicio (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · sv se skillnad på (to perceive differences) · bn পৃথকীকরণ (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · fi havaita (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · pl rozróżniać (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · es discernir (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · gl disterar (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · el διακρίνω (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · ru различа́ть (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de unterscheiden (to perceive differences) · cs rozeznávat (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · cs všímat si (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de erkennen (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · ota سچمك (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · ota سچمك (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · nl onderscheiden (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · de wahrnehmen (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs uvědomovat si (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · sv urskilja (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · ko 인지하다 (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs vnímat (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de merken (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · bg различавам (to perceive differences) · cs rozlišovat (to perceive differences) · pt perceber (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · es discerner (to perceive differences) · es discerner (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs uvědomit si (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · fi erottaa (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · de wahrnehmen (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · es discernir (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · cs zaznamenat (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs odlišovat (to perceive differences) · sk pochopiť (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · de den Unterschied erkennen zwischen (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · sk rozoznať (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · cs všimnout si (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispecto (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · gl aperceber (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · yue 察覺 /察觉 (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · cs chápat (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · fi havaita (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · de mitbekommen (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · ota سچمك (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · ro discerne (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · sk odlíšiť (to perceive differences) · cs odlišit (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · pl zauważać (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · de unterscheiden (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · ro percepe (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · bg разпознавам (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · es discerner (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · pl dostrzec (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispicio (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · pt discernir (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · de herauslesen (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · yue 辨別 /辨别 (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · gl estremar (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · pl rozróżnić (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · sk uvedomiť si (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · es discernir (to perceive differences) · sv urskilja (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · la internoscō (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · bg забелязвам (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · sv skilja (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · sa वेवेक्ति (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · fi huomata (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · gl albiscar (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · cs zpozorovat (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · pt discernir (to perceive differences) · sk spozorovať (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · gl decerner (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · pl dostrzegać (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · la dispecto (to perceive differences) · sk zbadať (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · pt distinguir (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · ota سچمك (to perceive differences) · de verstehen (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · ru различи́ть (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · el διακρίνω (to perceive, recognize or comprehend with the mind; to descry) · cs rozeznat (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · gl decerner (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · pt diferenciar (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · la dispicio (to perceive differences) · es discerner (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · cs rozlišit (to perceive differences) · ru распозна́ть (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · fr discerner (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · gl diferenciar (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · bg съзирам (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · sk všimnúť si (to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes) · gl acolumbrar (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate) · cs rozlišovat (to distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate)