Wordwyrt

determine

/dəˈtɜːmən/duh-TUR-muhn
/dəˈtɝmən/duh-TUR-muhn

Meaningto set limits

Common meaning: to decide

Other meanings: to find out

‘down, away, off’ + ‘a boundary marker, limit’ → determine

Journey through time

  1. Latinterminus‘a boundary marker, limit’
  2. Englishdetermine‘to decide’ · today

de- also in: deterdecampdecidededucedefame

termin also in: terminalterminatetermexterminateinterminable

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin terminus ‘a boundary marker, limit’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry terminus, p. 1859 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • terminus Latin “a boundary marker, limit”

Related words

exterminateinterminabletermterminalterminatetermination

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