English
ascertain
Ascertain comes from Old French acertener ‘to assure’, from Latin certus ‘certain, fixed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kritosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcertus‘certain, fixed’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acertener‘to assure’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500acerteynen
- Englishearliest quotation 1436ascertain
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kritosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcertus‘certain, fixed’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acertener‘to assure’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500acerteynen
- Englishearliest quotation 1436ascertain
Earliest quotation: 1436, Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England: “Therfore the saide cõmissioners shall mowe say that nowe…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’
secret, crime, crisis, criminal, discrimination, critic, critique, discretion, riddle, discrete, hypocrite, criterion, discreet, discriminate, endocrine, excrement, discern, excretion, rime, incriminate, excrete, incrimination, recrimination, ridder, criterium, 46 more
through Latin certus ‘certain, fixed’
Today it means
verb To find out definitely; to discover or establish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / ascertain