ascertain

ascertain
ascertain (v.) early 15c., "to inform, to give assurance," from Anglo-Fr. acerteiner, O.Fr. acertener "to assure, certify" (13c.), from a "to" (see AD- (Cf. ad-)) + certain "certain" (see CERTAIN (Cf. certain)). Modern meaning of "find out for sure by experiment or investigation" is first attested 1794. Related: Ascertained; ascertaining.

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  • Ascertain — As cer*tain , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ascertained}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ascertaining}.] [OF. acertener; a (L. ad) + certain. See {Certain}.] 1. To render (a person) certain; to cause to feel certain; to make confident; to assure; to apprise. [Obs.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ascertain — I verb acquire information, acquire intelligence about, adjudge, arrive at a conclusion, assure oneself, become acquainted with, certify, clear from obscurity, clear of doubt, clear of obscurity, cognoscere, come to a conclusion, come to know,… …   Law dictionary

  • ascertain — determine, *discover, unearth, learn Analogous words: inquire, query, interrogate, *ask: study, contemplate, weigh, *consider: observe, survey (see SEE) Contrasted words: *conjecture, surmise, guess: presume, assume (see …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • ascertain — [v] make sure catch on, check, check out*, check up on*, confirm, determine, dig*, discover, divine, double check*, establish, eye*, eyeball*, find out, fix, get down cold*, get down pat*, get hold of*, get it down*, get the hang of*, identify,… …   New thesaurus

  • ascertain — ► VERB ▪ find out for certain. DERIVATIVES ascertainable adjective ascertainment noun. ORIGIN Old French acertener, from Latin certus settled, sure …   English terms dictionary

  • ascertain — [as΄ər tān′] vt. [ME acertainen < OFr acertainer < a , to + certain, CERTAIN] 1. Archaic to make certain or definite 2. to find out with certainty SYN. LEARN ascertainable adj. ascertainment n …   English World dictionary

  • ascertain */ — UK [ˌæsə(r)ˈteɪn] / US [ˌæsərˈteɪn] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms ascertain : present tense I/you/we/they ascertain he/she/it ascertains present participle ascertaining past tense ascertained past participle ascertained formal to find …   English dictionary

  • ascertain — as|cer|tain [ ,æsər teın ] verb intransitive or transitive FORMAL * to find out something: I am simply trying to ascertain the facts of the case. ascertain whether/what/how etc.: We need to ascertain whether the project is feasible. ascertain… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • ascertain — as|cer|tain [ˌæsəˈteın US ˌæsər ] v [I and T] [Date: 1500 1600; : Old French; Origin: acertainer, from certain] formal to find out something ▪ A postmortem was ordered to try to ascertain the cause of death. ascertain whether/what/how etc ▪ Tests …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ascertain — [[t]æ̱sə(r)te͟ɪn[/t]] ascertains, ascertaining, ascertained VERB If you ascertain the truth about something, you find out what it is, especially by making a deliberate effort to do so. [FORMAL] [V n] Through doing this, the teacher will be able… …   English dictionary

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