Fathom vs Ascertain - What's the difference?
fathom | ascertain |
(obsolete) Grasp, envelopment, control.
(nautical) A measure of length corresponding to the outstretched arms, standardised to six feet, now used mainly for measuring depths in seas or oceans.
(by extension) Mental reach or scope; penetration; the extent of capacity; depth of thought or contrivance.
* Shakespeare
(archaic) To encircle with outstretched arms, especially to take a measurement; to embrace.
To measure the depth of, take a sounding of.
(figuratively) To get to the bottom of; to manage to comprehend (a problem etc.).
To find out definitely; to discover or establish.
* {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
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As verbs the difference between fathom and ascertain
is that fathom is (archaic) to encircle with outstretched arms, especially to take a measurement; to embrace while ascertain is to find out definitely; to discover or establish.As a noun fathom
is (obsolete) grasp, envelopment, control.fathom
English
Noun
(en noun)- Another of his fathom they have none / To lead their business (Othello, I.i. 151-2).
Synonyms
*(measure of length corresponding to the outstretched arms) braceVerb
(en verb)- I can't for the life of me fathom what this means.
Synonyms
* fathom out, figure out, puzzle out, work outExternal links
* * *ascertain
English
Verb
(en verb)citation, passage=“There the cause of death was soon ascertained ?; the victim of this daring outrage had been stabbed to death from ear to ear with a long, sharp instrument, in shape like an antique stiletto, which […] was subsequently found under the cushions of the hansom. […]”}}
- As soon as we ascertain what the situation is, we can plan how to proceed.
