Table of Contents
The word for today is…
discriminate (verb) – 1. To make a clear distinction; distinguish.
2. To make distinctions on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit, especially to show prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or a similar social factor.
3. To perceive or notice the distinguishing features of.
4. To make or constitute a distinction in or between.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : Although many methods or motives for discriminating are unfair and undesirable (or even illegal), the verb itself has a neutral history. English speakers borrowed it from the past participle of the Latin verb discriminare (meaning “to distinguish or differentiate”), which, itself, is derived from the verb discernere, meaning “to distinguish between.” Discernere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix dis- (meaning “apart”) and cernere (“to sift”). Other descendants of discernere include discern and discernible (as you no doubt guessed), discreet, and indiscretion. In addition, the root cernere gives us concern, certain, decree, and even secret.
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