late 16th century, "keenness of intellectual perception, insight, acuteness of judgment"
Latin discernere "distinguish, separate, see"
A pure, unadulterated word
Penetration, or insight, goes to the heart of a subject, reads the inmost character, etc. Discrimination marks the differences in what it finds. Discernment combines both these ideas.
"Century Dictionary"
"Determined to encounter mortal danger, and having forgotten to pack discernment into their toolkit, the fearful men were certain to have had an incredible and terrifying experience, and could vouch for each other as well as the correctness of their telling."
"Originals"
~☉~ | lucid definition; added layer of lucidity, or aethereal context |
⚜ | classic definition |
☣ | artificium definition; usually words which have undergone a warped evolution, or a complete perversion of the original sense |