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ascertain

as·cer·tain

UK/ˌæsəˈteɪn/ US/ˌæsɚˈteɪn/ uncommon archaic dated obsolete

verb

1.

after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

  • “find the product of two numbers”
  • “The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize”
Synonyms
2.

be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something

  • “He verified that the valves were closed”
  • “See that the curtains are closed”
  • “control the quality of the product”
Synonyms
3.

find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort

  • “I want to see whether she speaks French”
  • “See whether it works”
  • “find out if he speaks Russian”
  • “Check whether the train leaves on time”
Synonyms
4.

Origin

From Middle English acerteynen, from Old French acertener, from a- (“to, towards”) + certener (“make sure of”), from the adjective certain, from Latin certus (“certain, fixed”). Compare to Spanish acertar.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.