Discern, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discerned; p. pr. & vb. n. Discerning.]
Etymology: [F. discerner, L. discernere, discretum; dis- + cernere to separate, distinguish. See Certain, and cf. Discreet.]
1. To see and identify by noting a difference or differences; to note the distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish. To discern such buds as are fit to produce blossoms. Boyle. A counterfeit stone which thine eye can not discern from a right stone. Robynson (More's Utopia).
2. To see by the eye or by the understanding; to perceive and recognize; as, to discern a difference. And [I] beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Prov. vii. 7. Our unassisted sight . . . is not acute enough to discern the minute texture of visible objects. Beattie. I wake, and I discern the truth. Tennyson.
Syn. -- To perceive; distinguish; discover; penetrate; discriminate; espy; descry; detect. See Perceive.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Discern, v. i.
1. To see or understand the difference; to make distinction; as, to discern between good and evil, truth and falsehood. More than sixscore thousand that cannot discern between their right hand their left. Jonah iv. 11.
2. To make cognizance. [Obs.] Bacon.
Shades of meaning
What we discern we see apart from all other objects; what we discriminate we judge apart; what we distinguish we mark apart, or recognize by some special mark or manifest difference. We discriminate by real differences; we distinguish by outward signs; an officer is readily distinguished from a common soldier by his uniform. Objects may be dimly discerned at twilight, when yet we can not clearly distinguish one from another. We descry (originally espy) what is difficult to discover. Compare discover; look.