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Choose vs Discern - What's the difference?

choose | discern |

As verbs the difference between choose and discern

is that choose is to pick; to make the choice of; to select while discern is to detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.

As a conjunction choose

is (mathematics) the binomial coefficient of the previous and following number.

As a noun choose

is (dialectal|or|obsolete) the act of choosing; selection.

choose

English

(Choice)

Alternative forms

* chuse

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Verb

  • To pick; to make the choice of; to select.
  • :
  • *
  • *:The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.
  • To elect.
  • :
  • To decide to act in a certain way.
  • :
  • To wish; to desire; to prefer.
  • *(Oliver Goldsmith) (1730-1774)
  • *:The landlady now returned to know if we did not choose a more genteel apartment.
    • Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See
    Related terms
    * choice * choosey * chosen

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • (mathematics) The binomial coefficient of the previous and following number.
    • The number of distinct subsets of size ''k'' from a set of size ''n'' is \tbinom nk or "''n'' choose ''k''".
    See also
    * (projectlink)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (chooses)
  • (dialectal, or, obsolete) The act of choosing; selection.
  • (dialectal, or, obsolete) The power, right, or privilege of choosing; election.
  • (dialectal, or, obsolete) Scope for choice.

    • References

    * * *

    Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words

    discern

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To detect with the senses, especially with the eyes.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1875 , author=Jules Verne , title=The Survivors of the Chancellor , chapter=1 citation , passage=Meanwhile the brig had altered her tack, and was moving slowly to the east. Three hours later and the keenest eye could not have discerned her top-sails above the horizon.}}
  • To perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind; to descry.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1842 , author=Charles Dickens , title=American Notes for General Circulation citation , passage=If they discern' any evidences of wrong-going in any direction that I have indicated, they will acknowledge that I had reason in what I wrote. If they ' discern no such thing, they will consider me altogether mistaken.}}
  • To distinguish something as being different from something else; to differentiate.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1651 , author=Thomas Hobbes , title=Leviathan citation , passage=The severity of judgement, they say, makes men censorious and unapt to pardon the errors and infirmities of other men: and on the other side, celerity of fancy makes the thoughts less steady than is necessary to discern exactly between right and wrong.}}
    He was too young to discern right from wrong.
  • To perceive differences.

    • Derived terms

    * discernible * discernment * indiscernible

    Anagrams

    * *