discretion

C1 Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /dɪˈskɹɛʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #8463

Meanings

1

noun
The freedom to decide something for yourself, using your own judgement.

Whether to accept the offer is left entirely to your discretion.
2

noun
Care to avoid saying or doing things that could cause embarrassment or upset.

The staff handled the matter with great tact and discretion.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the freedom to decide... free will

2 noun · care to avoid saying or... discreetness

Opposites

indiscretion

Word family

Derived forms discretionaldiscretionarydiscretionless

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

Discretion is the better part of valor

Simplified etymology

Discretion entered medieval English from French in the sense “fine judgment.” Its Latin source, discretio, had developed from the idea of “separation” to the ability to distinguish or separate ideas judiciously.

Etymology

From Middle English discrecioun, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discrētiō, from Latin discerno. Equivalent to discreet + -ion.

*krey- Proto-Indo-European discrecioun Middle English discretion Old French discrētiō la-lat discerno Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# discretion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈskɹɛʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 8463

## Meanings
1. The freedom to decide something for yourself, using your own judgement.
2. Care to avoid saying or doing things that could cause embarrassment or upset.

## Examples
- Whether to accept the offer is left entirely to your discretion.
- The staff handled the matter with great tact and discretion.

## Antonyms
- indiscretion

## Derived Forms
- discretional
- discretionary
- discretionless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *krey-
- Root: discrecioun
- Root: discretion
- Root: discrētiō
- Root: discerno

## Etymology
From Middle English discrecioun, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discrētiō, from Latin discerno. Equivalent to discreet + -ion.

## AI Etymology
Discretion comes from Middle English discrecioun, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discrētiō, from Latin discerno. Equivalent to discreet + -ion. The historical chain includes *krey- (Proto-Indo-European), discrecioun (Middle English), discretion (Old French), discrētiō (Late Latin), and discerno (Latin). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as discretional, discretionary, and discretionless. In present use it covers the freedom to decide something for yourself, using your own judgement and care to avoid saying or doing things that could cause embarrassment or upset.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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