discernment
/dɪˈsɜːnmənt/dih-SURN-muhnt
/dɪˈsɝnmənt/dih-SURN-muhnt
Meaningthe act of discerning
Common meaning: good judgement
- disapart, away; not
- cernto sift; to distinguishLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 318 · scan
- mentnoun ending: act or result
‘apart, away’ + ‘to sift’ → discernment
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: Formed in English from discern + -ment.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), DISCERN, p.169 · scan
Roots
- cernō, crēvī, crētum Latin “to sift; to distinguish”
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