English
decretory
Decretory comes from Late Latin dēcrētōrius ‘decisive’, from Latin dēcernō ‘decide, determine’, 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*krinō‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcernō‘see, discern’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēcernō‘decide, determine’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēcrētōrius‘decisive’
- Englishearliest quotation 1658decretory
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*krinō‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcernō‘see, discern’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēcernō‘decide, determine’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēcrētōrius‘decisive’
- Englishearliest quotation 1658decretory
Earliest quotation: 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial: “If in the decretory term of the world we…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’
certain, crime, criminal, crisis, secret, critic, critique, riddle, criterion, hypocrite, discernible, discreet, endocrine, discernment, rime, incriminate, incrimination, ridder, criterium, certitude, recrimination, excrete, 42 more
through Latin cernō ‘see, discern’
secretary, discrimination, discretion, discriminate, discern, discrete, excrement, secretion, excretion, secrete, 7 more
Today it means
adj Pertaining to an authoritative decree or final judgement.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / decretory