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⇱ Decide - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

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Origin and history of decide

decide(v.)

late 14c., "settle a dispute, determine a controversy," from Old French decider, from Latin decidere "to decide, determine," literally "to cut off," from de "off" (see de-) + caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike"). The sense is of resolving difficulties "at a stroke." For the Latin vowel change, see acquisition. The meaning "make up one's mind" is attested by 1830. Related: Decided; deciding.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to decide

acquisition(n.)

late 14c., adquisicioun, "act of obtaining," from Old French acquisicion "purchase, acquirement" (13c., Modern French acquisition) or directly from Latin acquisitionem (nominative acquisitio), noun of action from past-participle stem of acquirere "get in addition, accumulate," from ad "to," here perhaps emphatic (see ad-), + quaerere "to seek to obtain" (see query (v.)).

The meaning "thing obtained" is from late 15c. The vowel change of -ae- to -i- in Latin is due to a phonetic rule in that language involving unaccented syllables in compounds.

"resolute, free from hesitation or wavering," 1790, past-participle adjective from decide. A decided victory is one the reality of which is not in doubt; a decisive one goes far toward settling some issue. Meaning "free from ambiguity or uncertainty" also is from 1790. Related: Decidedly.

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late 14c., determinen, "to settle, decide upon; state definitely; fix the bounds of; limit in time or extent," also "come to a firm decision or definite intention" (to do something), from Old French determiner (12c.) and directly from Latin determinare "to enclose, bound, set lim

Middle English setlen, "become set or fixed, stable or permanent; seat, place in a seat; sink down, come down," from Old English setlan "place in a fixed or permanent position; cause to sit, place in a seat," from setl "a seat" (see settle (n.)). Compare German siedeln "to settle

late 14c., resolven, "melt, dissolve, reduce to liquid; separate into component parts; alter, alter in form or nature by application of physical process," " intransitive sense from c. 1400; from Old French resolver or directly from Latin resolvere "to loosen, loose, unyoke, undo;

1580s, "act as an umpire, mediate, decide, determine, give an authoritative decision," from Latin arbitratus, past participle...The earlier verb form was arbitren "decide a dispute by arbitration" (early 15c.)....

decret (12c., Modern French décret), from Latin decretum, neuter of decretus, past participle of decernere "to decree, decide...

con-) + certare "to contend, strive," frequentative of certus, variant past participle of cernere "separate, distinguish, decide...

late 14c., ajuge, "to make a judicial decision, decide by judicial opinion," from Old French ajugier "to judge, pass judgment...

late 14c., an astrological term, "streaming ethereal power from the stars when in certain positions, acting upon character or destiny of men," from Old French influence "emanation from the stars that acts upon one's character and destiny" (13c.), also "a flow of water, a flowing

Middle English sale, from late Old English sala "a sale, act of selling," which according to OED probably is from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse sala "sale," but in either case from Proto-Germanic *salo (source also of Old High German sala, Swedish salu, Danish salg), fr

"design stamped on wax," especially an impressed figure attached to a document as evidence of authenticity, c. 1200, sel, sele, from Old French seel, seal "seal on a letter" (Modern French sceau), from Vulgar Latin *sigellum (source of Italian suggello, Spanish sello; also Old Fr

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Dictionary entries near decide

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