discern

The story

1. Latin · derived fromdiscernere“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”
2. Old French · derived fromdiscerner
3. Middle English · inherited fromdiscernen
4. English todaydiscern

From Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere (“to separate, divide, distinguish, discern”), from dis- (“apart”) + cernere (“to distinguish”); see certain.