distinguish by the senses

cerno, crēvi, crētum ( part. pass. cretus is apparently used only once:

cineris bene creti,

Pall. 12, 22, 3; but freq. in the compounds of cerno; for the simple part., the orig. form certus also is very rarely used:

certā deinde sorte senatus consultum factum est,

Liv. 36, 2, 2; v. under II. C., and cf. certus), 3, v. a. [root car- for scar-, to separate; cf. krinô; hence, skôr, stercus, screo; cf. cera].

To separate, sift (rare):

per cribrum, Cato. R. R. 107, 1: farinam cribro,

Plin. 18, 11, 29, § 115; cf. id. 33, 5, 26, § 87; Pall. Jun. 1; Veg. 3, 28, 6:

in cribris omnia cerne cavis,

Ov. Med. Fac. 62; cf.:

per densa foramina,

id. ib. 89:

cineris bene creti,

well sifted, Pall. Nov. 22.—Far more freq.,

Trop.

To separate, distinguish by the senses, mostly by the eyes, i. e. to perceive, see, discern (syn.: video, conspicio; class. in prose and poetry; most freq. probably in Lucretius, where it is used about a hundred times); rarely by the ears; v. infra: lumen jubarve in caelo cerno? [p. 319] Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll.;

7, § 76 ib.: sed quis illic est, procul quem video? estne hic Hegio? si satis cerno, is hercle'st,

Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 85:

tum porro varios rerum sentimus odores, nec tamen ad nareis venienteis cernimus umquam: nec voces cernere suemus,

Lucr. 1, 300; 4, 598:

quod nequeunt oculis rerum primordia cerni,

id. 1, 269; v. also id. 2, 314 sq.; 4, 242; cf. id. 2, 837:

acute,

id. 4, 811; cf.:

cerno acutum,

Hor. S. 1, 3, 26:

altaria exhalare vapore,

Lucr. 3, 432; 2, 928 al.—Hence, sometimes opp. to hearing:

ut non solum auribus acciperetur, sed etiam oculis cerneretur,

Nep. Timol. 2, 2;

or to mental perception: quem ego tam video animo, quam ea, quae oculis cernimus,

Cic. Fam. 6, 3, 2:

nos enim ne nunc quidem oculis cernimus ea, quae videmus,

id. Tusc. 1, 20, 46:

quae cernere et videre non possumus,

id. de Or. 3, 40, 161; cf. id. Rep. 6, 20, 21 sq.:

ego Catuli Cumanum ex hoc loco cerno, Pompeianum non cerno,

id. Ac. 2, 25, 80:

ut ea cernimus quae videmus,

id. Mil. 29, 79:

omnia sic aperiam, ut ea cernere oculis videamini,

id. Clu. 24, 66:

coram aliquid,

to witness, Caes. B. G. 6, 8; Verg. A. 2, 538:

aliquem,

Caes. B. G. 6, 21:

acies a nostris cernebatur,

id. B. C. 3, 69:

in sole sidera ipsa desinunt cerni,

Quint. 8, 5, 29:

simile quiddam facientes aves cernimus,

id. 2, 6, 7:

me miserum, turbā quod non ego cernar in illā,

Ov. P. 4, 4, 43:

Constitit alma Venus, nulli cernenda,

id. M. 15, 844; Curt. 8, 13, 16; Tac. A. 1, 59.—With acc. and inf.: sensumque inesse et motum in membris cerno, Canius ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll.:

neque mutari ac misceri omnia cerneres,

Sall. C. 2, 3: quos ad resistendum concucurrisse cernebat, * Suet. Caes. 15 fin.:

cernis ut insultent Rutuli?

Verg. A. 10, 20:

cerne quam tenui vos parte contingat,

Cic. Rep. 6, 20, 21:

cerneres, quanta audacia fuisset, etc.,

Sall. C. 61, 1.— Impers. with acc. and inf.:

cernebatur, novissimos illorum premi vehementer,

Caes. B. C. 1, 64 Herz. N. cr. — So impers. with rel. -clause:

ut non solum auribus acciperetur, sed etiam oculis cerneretur quem detulisset,

Nep. Timol. 2, 2. —Ante-class., of the hearing: vox illius certe est: idem omnes cernimus, Att. ap. Non. p. 261, 11, and perh. also, Titin. ap. Prisc. p. 898 P.—Hence,

Cerni aliquā re or in aliquā re, to become distinguished or known in something:

fortis animus et magnus duabus rebus maxime cernitur,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 66; so id. Tusc. 5, 8, 22: amicus certus in re incertā cernitur, Enn. ap. Cic. Lael. 17, 64:

atque hae quidem virtutes cernuntur in agendo,

Cic. Part. Or. 23, 78; id. Top. 21, 80 (also in Quint. 3, 5, 18).—

Have before the mind, have respect to, regard any one:

ubi gratus, si non eum ipsi cernunt grati, cui referunt gratiam?

Cic. Leg. 1, 18, 49.—

Transf. to intellectual objects, to perceive, comprehend, understand (syn.:

intellego, cognosco, perspicio): neque tanta in rebus obscuritas, ut eas (res) non penitus acri vir ingenio cernat, si modo aspexerit,

Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 124:

jam cernam mene an illam potiorem putes, id. poët. Tusc. 2, 9, 20: (antiquitas) hoc melius ea fortasse, quae erant vera, cernebat,

id. ib. 1, 12, 26; id. Fin. 1, 19, 64; id. Top. 5, 27; id. N. D. 1, 19, 49; id. Fam. 5, 12, 2:

quae cum ego non solum suspicarer, sed plane cernerem,

id. Agr. 2, 4, 9; id. de Or. 3, 31, 124:

ut consuetum facile amorem cerneres,

Ter. And. 1, 1, 108.—Hence,

Rarely of future events, to foresee, discern beforehand:

cerno animo sepultā in patriā miseros atque insepultos acervos civium,

Cic. Cat. 4, 6, 11:

cerno jam animo, quanto omnia uberiora atque ornatiora futura sint,

id. Fam. 5, 12, 2.—

To decide something that is contested or doubtful (judicially), to decree, determine (more rare than decernere):

quotcumque senatus creverit populusque jusserit tot sunto,

Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 8:

quodcumque senatus creverit agunto,

id. ib. 3, 3, 8, § 6: jurati cernant. Pac. ap. Non. p. 261, 13:

illum locum tempusque consilio destinatum quid de Armeniā cernerent,

Tac. A. 15, 14:

priusquam id sors cerneret,

Liv. 43, 12, 2:

certā sorte,

after the lot was decided, id. 36, 2, 2.—Hence,

To decide by contending or fighting (more rare than the freq. certare, and even in Seneca's time out of use; cf. Sen. Ep. 58, 3): ferro non auro vitam ( acc. respect = de vitā) cernamus utrique, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38; id. ap. Non. p. 261, 19, and ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 81 Müll.; Pac. ap. Non. p. 261, 21: nisi esset qui armis secum vellet cernere, Att. ap. Non. p. 261, 17:

cernere ferro,

Verg. A. 12, 709 (also ap. Sen. Ep. 58, 3); so,

cernere certamen,

Plaut. Bacch. 3, 2, 15; id. Cas. 3, 1, 2; Lucr. 5, 394: pro patriā, pro liberis, pro aris atque focis suis, * Sall. C. 59, 5 Kritz N. cr. (al. certare):

seu libeat duplicem sejunctim cernere martem,

Tib. 4, 1, 103.—Humorously, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 77.—

In gen., to decide for something, to conclude upon, resolve (syn.: constituo, decerno; also rare): praesidium castris educere, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 261, 5:

acribus inter se cum armis confligere,

id. ib. p. 261, 6:

te mihi amicam esse crevi,

Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 1 (crevi valet constitui, Varr. L. L. 7, § 98 Müll.); Cat. 64, 150.—Hence,

In judic. lang. t. t., of inheritances.

To resolve to enter upon an inheritance, Varr. L. L. 7, § 98 Müll.; cf. Tit. 22, 27, and cretio.—

To make known this determination, Tit. 22, 28 and 30; Cic. Att. 11, 2, 1.—

= adire, to enter upon an inheritance, Cic. Agr. 2, 15, 40; Liv. 24, 25, 3; 40, 8, 17; Plin. Ep. 10, 79, 2; Quint. Decl. 261; Fest. p. 41.—

Trop.:

debet etiam fratris Appii amorem erga me cum reliquā hereditate crevisse,

Cic. Att. 6, 1, 10; so id. Fam. 9, 14, 4; Val. Max. 5, 3, ext. 3.—P. a. v. certus.

intellĕgo (less correctly intellĭgo), exi, ectum (intellexti for intellexisti, Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 30; Cic. Att. 13, 32, 3:

intellexes for intellexisses,

Plaut. Cist. 2, 3, 81; subj. perf.:

intellegerint,

Sall. H. Fragm. 1, 41, 23 Dietsch), 3, v. a. [inter-lego], to see into, perceive, understand.

Lit.

To perceive, understand, comprehend:

qualem autem deum intellegere nos possumus nulla virtute praeditum,

Cic. N. D. 3, 15, 38 Schoemann ad loc.:

haec dumtaxat in Graecis intellego, quae ipsi, qui scripserunt, voluerunt a vulgo intellegi,

Cic. de Or. 2, 14:

puderet me dicere non intellegere, si vos ipsi intellegeretis, qui ista defenditis,

id. N. D. 1, 39:

corpus quid sit intellego,

id. ib. 1, 26:

quare autem in his vis deorum insit, tum intellegam cum cognovero,

id. ib. 3, 24:

quam sis audax hinc omnes intellegere potuerunt, quod,

id. Rosc. Am. 31:

magna ex parvis,

id. Off. 1, 41:

intellexi ex tuis litteris, te audisse,

id. Att. 6, 9:

de gestu intellego, quid respondeas,

id. Vatin. 15:

intellegere et sapere plus quam ceteros,

id. Off. 2, 14:

cernere aliquid animo atque intellegere,

id. Top. 5:

facile intellectu est,

Nep. Dion. 9:

intellegi necesse est: esse deos,

Cic. N. D. 1, 17; id. Tusc. 3, 5:

quocirca intellegi necesse est, in ipsis rebus invitamenta inesse,

id. Fin. 5, 11.—In answers, intellego corresponds to our I understand, go on, very well, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 63; Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 93.— Abl. absol.: intellecto; with rel. clause:

quidam bonorum caesi, postquam, intellecto in quos saeviretur, pessimi quoque arma rapuerant,

Tac. A. 1, 49;

intellecto quantum bellum suscitaret,

Just. 38, 3, 6.—

In partic., to have an accurate knowledge of or skill in a thing, to be a connoisseur:

faciunt intellegendo ut nihil intellegant,

Ter. And. prol. 17:

tametsi non multum in istis rebus intellego,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 43, § 94:

hoc nugatorium sciebam esse, ista intellegere,

id. ib. 2, 4, 14, §

33: quoniam non intellexerunt in operibus domini,

Lact. 4, 13, 18:

illi qui linguam ejus intellegebant,

Petr. S. 73, 3; Sen. Apoc. 5, 2.—

To distinguish:

oraculorum praestigias profani a veritate intellegere non possunt,

Lact. 2, 16.—

To see, perceive, observe by the understanding:

vehementer nunc mihi est irata: sentio atque intellego,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 64:

ubi neque cohortationes suas neque preces audiri intellegit,

Caes. B. C. 2, 42:

illi, ante inito, ut intellectum est, consilio,

id. B. G. 2, 33:

intellego, quid loquar,

Cic. Lig. 5.—

Of persons, to understand, comprehend, judge rightly (post-Aug.):

quod Catonem aetas sua parum intellexisset,

Sen. de Const. Sap. 1:

quando Socrates ab hominibus sui temporis parum intellegebatur,

Quint. 11, 1, 10; Vell. 2, 114, 5; Tac. A. 3, 3:

quem legatum tribunus ita et intellexit et cepit, ut, etc.,

Plin. Ep. 8, 23, 5. —

To understand a language: isti qui linguam avium intellegunt, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 57, 131 (Trag. v. 83 Rib.):

in iis linguis quas non intellegimus,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 40, 116:

quantum ego Graece scripta intellegere possum,

id. de Or. 2, 13, 55:

linguam ejus,

Sen. de M. Claud. 5, 2; Petr. 73.—

To understand by any thing, to take a thing to mean.

With in or sub aliqua re, or per aliquid: illa est eutaxia, in qua intellegitur ordinis conservatio, Cic. Off. 1, 40, 142:

sub hoc themate intellegere non hoc, sed, etc.,

Sen. Contr. 9, 28, 10:

intellego sub hoc verbo multa,

id. ib. 1, 2, 15:

per nemo homo,

Donat. ad Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 1:

solem sub appellatione Jovis,

Macr. S. 1, 23, 5:

per sagittas vim radiorum,

id. ib. 1, 17, 12. —

With two acc.:

non habeo quod intellegam bonum illud,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41. —

With acc. and abl.: consuetudo omnibus his nominibus Argesten intellegi, Plin. 2, 47, 46, § 121.—

Transf., to perceive, discern by the senses; to see, feel, notice. Alcumenam ante aedis stare saturam intellego, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 35: Si. Statum vide hominis, Callipho.... Ca. Bene confidenterque astitisse intellego, id. Ps. 1, 5, 41:

illa quidem primo nullos intellegit ignes,

Ov. M. 9, 456:

frigus,

Col. Arbor. 13:

vestigia hominum intellegi a feris,

Plin. 8, 16, 21, § 58; 28, 4, 14, § 55.— Hence, in-tellĕgens, entis, P. a., that has understanding or that understands a thing; intelligent, acquainted with.

In gen.:

semperne vulgi judicium cum intellegentium judicio congruit?

Cic. Brut. 49:

intellegens dicendi existimator,

id. ib. 54:

judicium,

id. Opt. Gen. Or. 4:

vir,

id. Fin. 3, 5.—With gen.:

cujusvis generis ejus intellegens,

id. ib. 2, 20.— Comp.:

aliquid intellegentiore mente discutere,

Aug. Retract. 1, 19.—

In partic.

Intellegens alicujus, that understands a person, rightly estimates his character:

intellegens principis nostri, cujus videbam hanc esse laudem,

Plin. Ep. 6, 27, 2 Döring ad loc.—

Well skilled in matters of taste, a connoisseur:

signa pulcherrima quae non modo istum hominem, ingeniosum atque intellegentem, verum etiam quemvis nostrum, quos iste idiotas appellat, delectare possent,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 2, § 4:

ut putetur in istis rebus intellegens esse,

id. ib. 2. 4, 15, § 33.— Adv.: intellĕgenter, intelligently:

ut amice, ut intelligenter, ut attente audiamur,

Cic. Part. 8, 28:

lectitare,

Plin. Ep. 5, 16, 3.