Lewis & Short

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. κρίνω; hence, σκώρ, stercus, screo; cf. cera].

  1. 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.,
  2. II. Trop.
    1. 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,
        1. 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).
        2. * 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.
    2. 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,
        1. 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.
    3. 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,
        1. 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.
    4. 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,
    5. E. In judic. lang. t. t., of inheritances.
      1. 1. To resolve to enter upon an inheritance, Varr. L. L. 7, § 98 Müll.; cf. Tit. 22, 27, and cretio.
      2. 2. To make known this determination, Tit. 22, 28 and 30; Cic. Att. 11, 2, 1.
      3. 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.
        1. 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.