Determined

How to spell determined

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce determined

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does determined mean?

1. adjectiveShowing firm, unwavering resolve to do something.
2. verbEstablished a fact or settled a question by reasoning or investigation; past tense of determine.

Determined in a sentence

• adjective

  She was determined to finish the marathon despite the rain.

• verb

  The surveyor determined the exact boundary of the property.

• adjective

  The determined negotiator refused to leave without a fair deal.

• verb

  The committee determined that the budget needed cutting.

Where does determined come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb determinare, meaning 'to set bounds to' or 'to limit', which was built from the prefix de- (here intensive, 'completely') and terminus, the Latin noun for a boundary stone or end point. To 'determine' something was therefore literally to mark off its limits, and from settling exact limits the sense grew into deciding, concluding, and fixing a matter firmly. English borrowed the verb through Old French determiner in the 1300s, and the past participle 'determined' soon took on its own adjectival life describing a person whose mind is firmly fixed. The same terminus root still surfaces in everyday words such as 'terminal', 'term', and 'terminate', a useful reminder that the middle of the word is spelled t-e-r-m, not 't-u-r-m'. The doubled final consonant comes simply from adding -ed to the verb 'determine', which already ended in a silent e.

How the word is built

• de- (completely, down to)
• termin (from terminus: boundary, limit, end)
• -ed (past participle / adjective suffix)