ascertain

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to learn or discover with certainty

   The detective ascertained that the suspect was at home on the night of the crime.

2. 2
   verb

   to establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

   I ascertained the moth's growth cycle.

From Middle English acerteynen, from Old French acertener, from a- (“to, towards”) + certener (“make sure of”), from the adjective certain, from Latin certus (“certain, fixed”). Compare to Spanish acertar.

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