LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

discernō

discernō (present infinitive discernere, perfect active discrēvī, supine discrētum)
Classical[dɪsˈkɛr.noː]Ecclesiastical[diʃˈʃɛr.no]

Meaning

  1. to separate, set apart, divide, part
  2. figurativelyto distinguish between, discern
  3. figurativelyto determine, settle
  4. figurativelyto except, omit

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Discernere · Distinguere

Discernere (διακρίνειν) means to distinguish by discrimination and judgment; distinguere (διαστίξαι, or διατέγγειν), by signs and marks. (vi. 103.)

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.discernōdiscernēbamdiscernamdiscrēvīdiscrēveramdiscrēverō
2nd sg.discernisdiscernēbāsdiscernēsdiscrēvistīdiscrēverāsdiscrēveris
3rd sg.discernitdiscernēbatdiscernetdiscrēvitdiscrēveratdiscrēverit
1st pl.discernimusdiscernēbāmusdiscernēmusdiscrēvimusdiscrēverāmusdiscrēverimus
2nd pl.discernitisdiscernēbātisdiscernētisdiscrēvistisdiscrēverātisdiscrēveritis
3rd pl.discernuntdiscernēbantdiscernentdiscrēvērunt
discrēvēre		discrēverantdiscrēverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.discernamdiscerneremdiscrēverimdiscrēvissem
2nd sg.discernāsdiscernerēsdiscrēverīsdiscrēvissēs
3rd sg.discernatdiscerneretdiscrēveritdiscrēvisset
1st pl.discernāmusdiscernerēmusdiscrēverīmusdiscrēvissēmus
2nd pl.discernātisdiscernerētisdiscrēverītisdiscrēvissētis
3rd pl.discernantdiscernerentdiscrēverintdiscrēvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.discernordiscernēbardiscernar
2nd sg.discerneris
discernere		discernēbāris
discernēbāre		discernēris
discernēre
3rd sg.discerniturdiscernēbāturdiscernētur
1st pl.discernimurdiscernēbāmurdiscernēmur
2nd pl.discerniminīdiscernēbāminīdiscernēminī
3rd pl.discernunturdiscernēbanturdiscernentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.discernardiscernerer
2nd sg.discernāris
discernāre		discernerēris
discernerēre
3rd sg.discernāturdiscernerētur
1st pl.discernāmurdiscernerēmur
2nd pl.discernāminīdiscernerēminī
3rd pl.discernanturdiscernerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.discernediscernere
pres. 2nd pl.discernitediscerniminī
fut. 2nd sg.discernitōdiscernitor
fut. 3rd sg.discernitōdiscernitor
fut. 2nd pl.discernitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.discernuntōdiscernuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivediscernerediscernī
perfect infinitivediscrēvissediscrētum esse
future infinitivediscrētūrum essediscrētum īrī
present participlediscernēns—
perfect participle—discrētus
discrēta, discrētā, discrētae, discrētam, discrētārum, discrētās, discrēte, discrētī, discrētīs, discrētō, discrētōrum, discrētōs
future participlediscrētūrus
discrētūra, discrētūrā, discrētūrae, discrētūram, discrētūrārum, discrētūrās, discrētūre, discrētūrī, discrētūrīs, discrētūrō, discrētūrōrum, discrētūrōs, discrētūrum		discernendus
discernundus, discernenda, discernendā, discernendae, discernendam, discernendārum, discernendās, discernende, discernendīs, discernendōrum, discernendōs, discernunda, discernundā, discernundae, discernundam, discernundārum, discernundās, discernunde, discernundī, discernundīs, discernundō, discernundōrum, discernundōs, discernundum
gerunddiscernendī, discernendō, discernendumsupinediscrētum, discrētū

dis-cerno, crēvi, crētum, 3,
I. v. a., to separate, set apart.
I. Lit., to separate, part, divide (freq. since the Aug. per.): equas, ne inter se pugnare possint, Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 10: ordines (preceded by senatus a populo secretus), Liv. 34, 54: lignum a carnibus, Plin. 13, 4, 7, § 33: Lusitaniam a Baetica, id. 4, 21, 35, § 116: neque mons erat, qui fines eorum discerneret, i. e. to mark out, determine, Sall. J. 79, 3; cf. poet.: (saxum) telas auro, to interweave with gold, Verg. A. 4, 264; 11, 75: haec ipsa fortuna huc illucve discernit, divides, distributes, Cels. 7, 3.—In the part. perf., divided, separated: duae urbes, magno inter se spatio discretae, Liv. 27, 39 fin.; cf.: Peraea a ceteris Judaeis Jordane amne, Plin. 5, 14, 15, § 70: Philippus mari tantum Ionio discretus, Liv. 23, 33; so, sol tanto intervallo, Plin. 2, 11, 8, § 50: uxor velo, id. Ep. 4, 19, 3: ager saxo, Stat. Th. 5, 559: decurias pluribus nominibus, Plin. 33, 2, 7, § 31 et saep.— Of the hair, parted: discretaque collo Caesaries, Grat. Cyn. 272: divisa discretaque tellus, divided and separated, Lucr. 5, 1441: tellus (opp. permixta), id. 691: ubi discretas insula rumpit aquas, Ov. F. 2, 194: sedes piorum, set apart, retired, Hor. C. 2, 13, 23: quae cum sint turpissima discreta ac separata, turpius junguntur, Plin. Ep. 2, 6 fin.: septem discretus in ostia Nilus, Ov. M. 5, 324 (for which: septem digestum in cornua Nilum, id. ib. 9, 774); cf. Quint. 7, 1, 1.
II. Trop.
A. To separate things according to their different qualities, to distinguish between, discern (freq. and class.): alba et atra, Cic. Tusc. 5, 39, 114: discernere et dispicere insidiatorem et petitum insidiis, Liv. 40, 10: jus et injuriam, Tac. A. 2, 66: probanda atque improbanda, Quint. 2, 2, 11: fas atque nefas, Hor. C. 1, 18, 11 et saep.: id quod visum erit a falso, Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 25: pantheras a pardis solo candore, Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 63 et saep.: verba discerni articulatim, Lucr. 4, 555: suos, * Caes. B. G. 7, 75: piceam visu, Plin. 16, 10, 18, § 40: temperantiam duobus modis, Cic. Part. Or. 22, 77 et saep.: animus discernit, quid sit ejusdem generis, quid alterius, id. Univ. 8: pecuniae an famae minus parceret haud facile dis cerneres, Sall. C. 25, 3; so with an, Tac. A. 5, 6; id. H. 3, 28; Suet. Calig. 25; cf.: nec discernatur, jussu injussu imperatoris pugnent, Liv. 8, 34 fin.—
B. To determine, settle: limes agro positus litem ut discerneret arvis, Verg. A. 12, 898: discerne causam meam, Vulg. Psa. 42, 1.—
C. To except, omit, Amm. 14, 8, 7.—Hence, *
1. discernen-ter, adv., with a distinction, Cael. Aur. Tard. 1, 4, no. 81.—
2. discrētim, adv., separately, distinctly, App. M. 6, p. 173: singillatim ac discretim, id. Flor. 9, p. 347: adoriri, Amm. 29, 6: tradi, id. 28, 1; Hilar. in Psa. 138, 23.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Latindiscernō

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *krey-der. Proto-Italic *krinō Latin cernō Latin discerno From dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + cernō (“to see, discern”).

Descendants
  • Catalandiscernir
  • Englishdiscern
  • Frenchdiscerner
  • Italiandiscernere
  • Portuguesediscernir
  • Romaniandiscerne
  • Spanishdiscernir
  • Galiciandiscernir
  • Piedmontesedisserne
  • Siciliandiscèrniri

Quick answers

What does discernō mean in Latin?
discernō, a verb, means “to separate, set apart, divide, part; to distinguish between, discern; to determine, settle”.
What are the principal parts of discernō?
discernō, discernere, discrēvī, discrētum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce discernō?
In classical Latin, [dɪsˈkɛr.noː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [diʃˈʃɛr.no].
Where does discernō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ → Latin discernō.