certain

English

Etymology

From Middle English certain, certein, from Old French certain, from Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English, ġewiss (“certain, sure”) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈsɜːtn̩/, X-SAMPA: {{{1}}}
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈsɝtn̩/, X-SAMPA: {{{1}}}
• (Canada) IPA: /ˈsɝtən/, /ˈsɝtn̩/, X-SAMPA: /"s3`t@n/

• Audio (CA)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)tən
• Hyphenation: cer‧tain

Adjective

Wikipedia

certain (comparative more certain, superlative most certain)

1. Sure, positive, not doubting.

   I was certain of my decision.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:certain

Antonyms

• uncertain

Derived terms

• certainly adv

Related terms

• certainty n

Translations

sure, positive, not doubting

• Arabic: أكيد (ar) ('akiid), (said of a person) متأكد (ar) (muta'akkid)
• Bulgarian: сигурен (bg) (siguren), уверен (bg) (uveren)
• Chamicuro: akachelo'ta
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 肯定 (cmn) (kěndìng), 確切 (cmn), 确切 (cmn) (quèqiè), 一定 (cmn) (yīdìng)

• Czech: jistý (cs) m
• Danish: sikker (da) c, sikkert (da) n, sikre (da) pl
• Dutch: zeker (nl)
• Finnish: varma (fi)
• French: certain (fr)
• German: sicher (de)
• Greek: βέβαιος (el) (vévaios) m (vévaios)
• Icelandic: viss (is) m, öruggur (is) m
• Irish: cinnte (ga), dearfa (ga), deimhin (ga)
• Italian: certo (it)
• Japanese: 確か (ja) (tashika), 一定 (ja) (ittei), 定か (ja) (sadaka), (+ -の -no) 特定 (ja) (tokutei)

• Khmer: ជាក់លាក់ (km) (cheakleak)
• Latin: certus (la)
• Norwegian: sikker (no), viss (no)
• Oriya: ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟ (or)
• Polish: pewny (pl) m
• Portuguese: certo (pt)
• Romanian: cert (ro), anume (ro)
• Russian: уверенный (ru) (uvérennyj), (of a fact) определённый (ru) (opredeljónnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: cinnteach (gd), deimhinne (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian: sȉgūran (sh)
• Slovene: gotov (sl)
• Spanish: cierto (es)
• Swedish: säker (sv) c, säkert (sv) n, säkra (sv) pl
• Thai: แน่นอน (th)
• Turkish: kesin (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: certa (1), certena (2)
• Indonesian: tertentu, yakin, merasa pasti
• Telugu: నిశ్చయం (niScayam)

Determiner

certain

1. Having been determined but unspecified. The quality of some particular subject or object which is known by the speaker to have been specifically singled out among similar entities of its class.

   Certain people are good at running.

   • Bible, Acts xxiii. 12

     Certain of the Jews banded together.

Translations

having been determined but unspecified

• Arabic: محدّد (ar) (muhaddad)
• Bulgarian: определен (bg) (opredelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 某 (cmn) (mǒu), 有的 (cmn) (yǒude)

• Czech: jistý (cs) m, určitý (cs) m
• Dalmatian: ciart
• Danish: vis (da) c, vist (da) n, visse (da) pl
• Finnish: tietty (fi), muuan (fi)
• French: certain (fr)
• German: bestimmt (de), gewiss (de)
• Icelandic: ákveðinn (is) m, viss (is) m

• Japanese: ある (ja) (aru), とある (ja) (toaru)
• Latin: quīdam (la)
• Norwegian: viss (no) m and f, visst (no) n, visse (no) pl, enkelte (no)
• Portuguese: certo (pt) m
• Romanian: anumit (ro)
• Russian: некоторый (ru) (nékotoryj), определённый (ru) (opredeljónnyj), некий (ru) (nékij)
• Serbo-Croatian: òdrēđen (sh), nȅkī (sh)
• Spanish: cierto (es) m, cierta (es) f
• Swedish: viss (sv) c, visst (sv) n, vissa (sv) pl
• Turkish: belli (tr)

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: often · themselves · half · #269: certain · sent · keep · myself

External links

• certain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• certain in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• tacrine
• tercian

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French

Etymology

From Old French certain, from Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɛʁ.tɛ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

certain m (feminine certaine, masculine plural certains, feminine plural certaines)

1. certain (sure, positive)

   Il est certain qu'il viendra.

   It is certain that he will arrive.

2. certain (fixed, determined)
3. certain (specified, particular)

Noun

certain m (plural certains)

1. certain; certainty

Related terms

• certainement
• certitude
• incertain

Anagrams

• carient, centrai, cernait, crainte, criante, écriant, encirât, encrait

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Old French

Alternative forms

• (Picard dialect) chertain

Adjective

certain

1. certain; sure

Synonyms

• seür

Declension

  Declension of certain  

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	certains	certaine	certain
	Oblique	certain	certaine	certain
Plural	Subject	certain	certaines	certain
	Oblique	certains	certaines	certain

Descendants

• English: certain
• French: certain