Definition of: discern

(di·zûrn′, di·sûrn′) v.t.
1. To perceive, as with sight or mind; recognize; apprehend.
2. To discriminate mentally; recognize as separate and different.
—v.i.
3. To distinguish; discriminate. [<OF discerner <L discernere <dis- apart + cernere separate]
—dis·cern′er noun Synonyms: descry, discriminate, distinguish, perceive, recognize. What we discern we see apart from all other objects; what we discriminate we judge apart; what we distinguish we mark apart, or recognize by some special mark or manifest difference. We descry (originally espy) what is difficult to discover. Compare DISCOVER, KNOW, LOOK.