Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French determiner, from Latin determinare, from de- + terminare to limit, from terminus boundary, limit; more at TERM
Pronunciation : di-t&r-m&n, dE-
Function : verb
Date : 14th century
1. decide, settle; conclude; cause, affect. determine\de*ter"mine\, v. i.
2. to come to an end; to end; to terminate. [obs.] he who has vented a pernicious doctrine or published an ill book must know that his life determine not together. estates may determine on future contingencies.
3. to come to a decision; to decide; to resolve; -- often with on. "determine on some course." he shall pay as the judges determine. xxi. 22.determine \de*ter"mine\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. determined ; p. pr. & vb. n. determining.] [f. déterminer, l. determinare, determinatum; de + terminare limit, terminus limit. see:
term.].
4. to fix the boundaries of; to mark off and separate. [god] hath determined the times before appointed.
5. 2. to set bounds to; to fix the determination of; to limit; to bound; to bring to an end; to finish. the knowledge of men hitherto hath been determined by the view or sight. now, where is he that will not stay so long till his friend sickness hath determined me?.
6. to fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle. the character of the soul is determined by the character of its god. edwards. something divinely beautiful that at some time or other might influence or even determine her course of life. black.
7. to fix the course of; to impel and direct; -- with a remoter object preceded by to; as, another's will determined me to this course.
8. to ascertain definitely; to find out the specific character or name of; to assign to its true place in a system; as, to determine an unknown or a newly discovered plant or its name.
9. to bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide; as, the court has determined the cause.
10. to resolve on; to have a fixed intention of; also, to cause to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead; as, this determined him to go immediately.
11. (logic) to define or limit by adding a differentia.
12. (physical sciences) to ascertain the presence, quantity, or amount of; as, to determine the parallax; to determine the salt in sea water.determine v.
13. after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "the physicist who found the elusive particle won the nobel prize" [syn: find, find out, ascertain].
14. shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion" [syn: shape, mold, influence, regulate].
15. fix conclusively or authoritatively; "set the rules" [syn: set].
16. decide upon, as of variables in math [syn: specify, set, fix].
17. reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "we finally decided after lengthy deliberations" [syn: decide, make up one's mind ].
18. fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; the tree determines the border of the property.
19. settle conclusively; come to terms; "we finally settled the argument" [syn: settle, square off, square up].
20. find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "i want to see:
whether she speaks french"; "see:
whether it works"; "find out if he speaks russian"; "check whether the train leaves on time" [syn: check, find out, see, ascertain, watch, learn].
21. To fix the boundaries of; to mark off and separate.
22. To set bounds to; to fix the determination of; to limit; to bound; to bring to an end; to finish.
23. To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle.
24. To fix the course of; to impel and direct; with a remoter object preceded by to; as, another's will determined me to this course.
25. To ascertain definitely; to find out the specific character or name of; to assign to its true place in a system; as, to determine an unknown or a newly discovered plant or its name.
26. To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide; as, the court has determined the cause.
27. To resolve on; to have a fixed intention of; also, to cause to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead; as, this determined him to go immediately.
28. To define or limit by adding a differentia.
29. To ascertain the presence, quantity, or amount of; as, to determine the parallax; to determine the salt in sea water.
30. To come to an end; to end; to terminate.
31. To come to a decision; to decide; to resolve; often with on. fix conclusively or authoritatively; "set the rules" fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; the tree determines the border of the property shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion" after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize" find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see:
whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time".
32. 1. If a particular factor determines the nature of a thing or event, it causes it to be of a particular kind. The size of the chicken pieces will determine the cooking time What determines whether you are a career success or a failure? = dictate + determination de·ter·mi·na·tion the gene which is responsible for male sex determination.
33. To determine a fact means to discover it as a result of investigation. The investigation will determine what really happened Testing needs to be done to determine the long-term effects on humans Science has determined that the risk is very small. = identify.
34. If you determine something, you decide it or settle it. The Baltic people have a right to determine their own future My aim was first of all to determine what I should do next. + determination determinations de·ter·mi·na·tion We must take into our own hands the determination of our future.
35. If you determine to do something, you make a firm decision to do it. He determined to rescue his two countrymen I determined that I would ask him outright.