Ascertain

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌæsəˈteɪn/

Definitions

1. To determine or discover something with certainty through examination or investigation
2. To discover or determine facts or information with certainty by means of careful investigation or examination
3. To find out with confidence by checking facts or evidence

Etymology: The verb "ascertain" carries a faint trace of the word "certain" in its own history: it is built from the Old French "acertener," meaning "make sure of." That Old French word combined the prefix "a-" (roughly "to" or "towards") with "certener," itself formed from the adjective "certain," which came ultimately from the Latin "certus," meaning "certain" or "fixed." So the verb is literally a process of making something fixed and settled in the mind. It reached English in Middle English as "acerteynen," carrying that sense of confirming something as true. The modern spelling and pronunciation emerged later, shaped by the spelling of "certain" that English had adopted. Spanish "acertar," meaning "to hit the mark" or "to succeed," is a related cousin from the same Latin root.

Synonyms: determine, discover

Antonyms: overlook