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determinate

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determinate¹

  • /dɪˈtɜːmɪnət/ UK

Where it comes from

From Middle English determinate, determynat, determinat, from Latin dēterminātus, perfect passive participle of dēterminō (“to limit, set bounds”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

adjective

  1. not comparable Distinct, clearly defined. Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet.
  2. not comparable Fixed, determined, set, unvarying. […] hym have ye taken by the hondes of vnrightewes perſones / after he was delivered by the determinat counſell and fore knoweledge of God / and have crucified and ſlayne hym / […]
  3. not comparable Of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.
  4. not comparable Conclusive; decisive; positive.
  5. not comparable, obsolete Determined or resolved upon. My determinate voyage.
  6. not comparable Of determined purpose; resolute. More determinate to do than skilfull how to do.

Opposite: indeterminate, nondeterminate, antonym(s) of

determinate²

  • /dɪˈtɜːmɪnət/ UK

Where it comes from

From a substantivation of the above adjective. See -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more.

noun determinates

  1. A single state of a particular determinable attribute. And since being negatively-charged and being positively-charged are determinates of the same determinable, [D5] will not permit us to infer worlds where anything negatively-charged is also positively-charged.

determinate³

  • /dɪˈtɜːmɪnət/ UK

Where it comes from

From Middle English determinaten, from determinat + -en, see Etymology 1 and -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French déterminer.

verb determinates · determinating · determinated

  1. obsolete To bring to an end; to determine. The sly, slow hours shall not determinate / The dateless limit of thy dear exile.

Thesaurus

adjective

Opposite: indeterminate, nondeterminate, antonym(s) of

Translations

Every language

adj distinct, defined

Españoldeterminado
Deutschbestimmt, entschieden, eindeutig

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MLA

"determinate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/determinate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

determinate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/determinate

Chicago

"determinate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/determinate.

BibTeX
@misc{determinate_2026,
  title = {determinate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/determinate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}