ascertaining
|as-cer-tain-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˌæsərˈteɪnɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˌæsəˈteɪnɪŋ/
(ascertain)
confirm with certainty
Etymology
'ascertain' originates from Old French/Anglo-Norman, specifically the word 'acertener' (a- + certener), where the prefix 'a-' comes from Latin 'ad-' meaning 'to/toward' and 'certener' is related to 'certain' (from Latin 'certus').
'ascertain' changed from Old French 'acertener' into Middle English forms such as 'ascerten'/'ascertainen' and eventually became the modern English verb 'ascertain'.
Initially it meant 'to make certain' (to render certain); over time it broadened to include the sense 'to find out or determine (by investigation)', which is common in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of ascertaining; the determination or verification of a fact or condition (used as a gerund or nominalized form).
The ascertaining of the patient's identity took several hours.
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Verb 1
present-participle form of 'ascertain'; used in continuous tenses or as a gerund to indicate the action of finding out, verifying, or making certain.
They were ascertaining the cause of the malfunction.
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Last updated: 2025/10/26 07:56