dis-cerno, crēvi, crētum, 3
* V. a., to separate, set apart.
* Lit., to separate, part, divide (freq. since the Aug. per.): equas, ne inter se pugnare possint,Varr. R. R. 2, 7, 10: ordines (preceded by senatus a populo secretus), Liv. 34, 54: lignum a carnibus,Plin. 13, 4, 7, § 33: Lusitaniam a Baetica,id. 4, 21, 35, § 116: neque mons erat, qui fines eorum discerneret,i. e. to mark out, determine,Sall. J. 79, 3; cf. poet.: (saxum) telas auro,to interweave with gold,Verg. A. 4, 264; 11, 75: haec ipsa fortuna huc illucve discernit,divides, distributes,Cels. 7, 3.—In the part. perf., divided, separated: duae urbes, magno inter se spatio discretae,Liv. 27, 39 fin.; cf.: Peraea a ceteris Judaeis Jordane amne,Plin. 5, 14, 15, § 70: Philippus mari tantum Ionio discretus,Liv. 23, 33; so, sol tanto intervallo,Plin. 2, 11, 8, § 50: uxor velo,id. Ep. 4, 19, 3: ager saxo,Stat. Th. 5, 559: decurias pluribus nominibus,Plin. 33, 2, 7, § 31 et saep.— Of the hair, parted: discretaque collo Caesaries,Grat. Cyn. 272: divisa discretaque tellus,divided and separated,Lucr. 5, 1441: tellus (opp. permixta),id. 691: ubi discretas insula rumpit aquas,Ov. F. 2, 194: sedes piorum,set apart, retired,Hor. C. 2, 13, 23: quae cum sint turpissima discreta ac separata, turpius junguntur,Plin. Ep. 2, 6 fin.: septem discretus in ostia Nilus,Ov. M. 5, 324 (for which: septem digestum in cornua Nilum, id. ib. 9, 774); cf. Quint. 7, 1, 1.
* Trop.
* To separate things according to their different qualities, to distinguish between, discern (freq. and class.): alba et atra,Cic. Tusc. 5, 39, 114: discernere et dispicere insidiatorem et petitum insidiis,Liv. 40, 10: jus et injuriam,Tac. A. 2, 66: probanda atque improbanda,Quint. 2, 2, 11: fas atque nefas,Hor. C. 1, 18, 11 et saep.: id quod visum erit a falso,Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 25: pantheras a pardis solo candore,Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 63 et saep.: verba discerni articulatim,Lucr. 4, 555: suos, * Caes. B. G. 7, 75: piceam visu,Plin. 16, 10, 18, § 40: temperantiam duobus modis,Cic. Part. Or. 22, 77 et saep.: animus discernit, quid sit ejusdem generis, quid alterius,id. Univ. 8: pecuniae an famae minus parceret haud facile dis cerneres,Sall. C. 25, 3; so with an, Tac. A. 5, 6; id. H. 3, 28; Suet. Calig. 25; cf.: nec discernatur, jussu injussu imperatoris pugnent, Liv. 8, 34 fin.
* To determine, settle: limes agro positus litem ut discerneret arvis,Verg. A. 12, 898: discerne causam meam,Vulg. Psa. 42, 1.
* To except, omit, Amm. 14, 8, 7.—Hence, *
* Discernen-ter, adv., with a distinction, Cael. Aur. Tard. 1, 4, no. 81.
* Discrētim, adv., separately, distinctly, App. M. 6, p. 173: singillatim ac discretim,id. Flor. 9, p. 347: adoriri,Amm. 29, 6: tradi,id. 28, 1; Hilar. in Psa. 138, 23.

s. TLL