certain
pronunciation
How to pronounce certain in British English:
UK [ˈsɜːtn]
How to pronounce certain in American English:
US [ˈsɜːrtn]
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- Adjective:
- definite but not specified or identified
- having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
- established beyond doubt or question; definitely known
- certain to occur; destined or inevitable
- established irrevocably
- capable of being depended on
- exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance
Word Origin
- certain
- certain: [13] Certain comes ultimately from Latin certus ‘sure, fixed’, which derived from the past participle of the verb cernere ‘decide’. The Latin adjective was extended in Vulgar Latin to *certānus, which passed into English via Old French certain. Other English words based on certus include certify [14] (from late Latin certificāre) and its derivative certificate, and certitude [15] (from late Latin certitūdō).=> crime, crisis, decree, discern, discrete, discriminate, excrement, riddle, secret
- certain (adj.)
- c. 1300, "determined, fixed," from Old French certain "reliable, sure, assured" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *certanus, from Latin certus "sure, fixed, settled, determined" (also source of Italian certo, Spanish cierto), originally a variant past participle of cernere "to distinguish, decide," literally "to sift, separate" (see crisis). Of persons, "full of confidence in one's knowledge or judgment," from mid-14c. Euphemistic use (of a certain age, etc.) attested from mid-18c. Certainer, certainest were common to c. 1750, but have fallen from proper use for some reason. Expression for certain "assuredly" is attested by early 14c.
Example
- 1. But victory is far from certain .
- 2. We are born with certain talents .
- 3. You never know when you will need a certain skill .
- 4. I could see a certain charm in it .
- 5. Mr mamet 's vehemence commands a certain admiration .