[syn: certain, sure]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Certain \Cer"tain\, a. [F. certain, fr. (assumed) LL. certanus,
fr. L. certus determined, fixed, certain, orig. p. p. of
cernere to perceive, decide, determine; akin to Gr. ? to
decide, separate, and to E. concern, critic, crime, riddle a
sieve, rinse, v.]
1. Assured in mind; having no doubts; free from suspicions
concerning.
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To make her certain of the sad event. --Dryden.
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I myself am certain of you. --Wyclif.
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2. Determined; resolved; -- used with an infinitive.
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However, I with thee have fixed my lot,
Certain to undergo like doom. --Milton.
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3. Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.
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The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure. --Dan. ii. 45.
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4. Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable.
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Virtue that directs our ways
Through certain dangers to uncertain praise.
--Dryden.
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Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all.
--Shak.
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5. Unfailing; infallible.
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I have often wished that I knew as certain a remedy
for any other distemper. --Mead.
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6. Fixed or stated; regular; determinate.
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The people go out and gather a certain rate every
day. --Ex. xvi. 4.
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7. Not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or
some; -- sometimes used independenty as a noun, and
meaning certain persons.
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It came to pass when he was in a certain city.
--Luke. v. 12.
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About everything he wrote there was a certain
natural grace und decorum. --Macaulay.
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For certain, assuredly.
Of a certain, certainly.
Syn: Bound; sure; true; undeniable; unquestionable;
undoubted; plain; indubitable; indisputable;
incontrovertible; unhesitating; undoubting; fixed;
stated.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Certain \Cer"tain\, n.
1. Certainty. [Obs.] --Gower.
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2. A certain number or quantity. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Certain \Cer"tain\, adv.
Certainly. [Obs.] --Milton.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
certain
adj 1: definite but not specified or identified; "set aside a
certain sum each week"; "to a certain degree"; "certain
breeds do not make good pets"; "certain members have not
paid their dues"; "a certain popular teacher"; "a certain
Mrs. Jones"
2: having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and
assured; "felt certain of success"; "was sure (or certain)
she had seen it"; "was very sure in his beliefs"; "sure of
her friends" [syn: certain(p), sure] [ant: incertain,
uncertain, unsure]
3: established beyond doubt or question; definitely known; "what
is certain is that every effect must have a cause"; "it is
certain that they were on the bus"; "his fate is certain";
"the date for the invasion is certain" [ant: uncertain]
4: certain to occur; destined or inevitable; "he was certain to
fail"; "his fate is certain"; "In this life nothing is
certain but death and taxes"- Benjamin Franklin; "he faced
certain death"; "sudden but sure regret"; "he is sure to win"
[syn: certain, sure] [ant: uncertain]
5: established irrevocably; "his fate is sealed" [syn: sealed,
certain] [ant: uncertain, unsealed]
6: reliable in operation or effect; "a quick and certain
remedy"; "a sure way to distinguish the two"; "wood dust is a
sure sign of termites" [syn: certain, sure]
7: exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance;
"be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be
sure to lock the doors" [syn: certain, sure]