cerno

I 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. kri/nw; hence, skw/r, stercus, screo; cf. cera.

I 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.,

II Trop.

A 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? 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,

b 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).—*

c 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.—

B 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,

b 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.—

C 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,

b 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.—

D 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,

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

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

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

3 = 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.—

b 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.