determine

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈtɝmɪn/ UK /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #4610

Meanings

1

verb
To find out something exactly, by looking at the facts or calculating.

Doctors are trying to determine the cause of the illness.
2

verb
To control or decide what something will be like.

Your effort will determine your final grade.
3

verb
To decide firmly to do something.

She determined to leave home at once.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to find out something... work outfind

3 verb · to decide firmly to do... decidemake up one's mind

Word family

Forms determin'ddeterminesdeterminingindeterminable

Derived forms codeterminedeterminabilitydeterminabledeterminablydeterminant determination determinative determinerdeterminisedeterminism determinist deterministic

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

determine paternity
to establish who a child's biological father is

Verb + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Where you stand depends on where you sit
Matching variant: Where you sit determines where you stand

Simplified etymology

Determine entered late Middle English from Latin determinare “set a limit to, determine, fix.” The Latin verb combines de-, here indicating thoroughness, with terminare “set bounds to,” also the source of terminate and related to terminus.

Etymology

From Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”).

determinen Middle English determiner Old French determino Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# determine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈtɝmɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 4610

## Meanings
1. To find out something exactly, by looking at the facts or calculating.
2. To control or decide what something will be like.
3. To decide firmly to do something.

## Examples
- Doctors are trying to determine the cause of the illness.
- Your effort will determine your final grade.
- She determined to leave home at once.

## Derived Forms
- codetermine
- determinability
- determinable
- determinably
- determinant
- determination
- determinative
- determiner
- determinise
- determinism
- determinist
- deterministic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: determinen
- Root: determiner
- Root: determino

## Etymology
From Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”).

## AI Etymology
determine comes from Middle English determinen, from Old French determiner, French déterminer, from Latin determināre (“to bound, limit, prescribe, fix, determine”), from de + termināre (“to limit”), from terminus (“bound, limit, end”). The historical chain includes Middle English determinen, Old French determiner, Latin determino. Current senses include to find out something exactly, by looking at the facts or calculating and to control or decide what something will be like. English relatives and later formations include codetermine, determinability, determinable.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown