different between decide vs conjecture

English

Etymology

From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin d?c?dere, infinitive of d?c?d? (“cut off, decide”), from d? (“down from”) + caed? (“cut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??sa?d/

Verb

decide (third-person singular simple present decides, present participle deciding, simple past and past participle decided)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle
2. (intransitive) to make a judgment, especially after deliberation

   • So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

3. (transitive) to cause someone to come to a decision
   • 1920, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Three Gables" (Norton edition, 2005, page 1537),

     It decides me to look into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble, there must be something in it.

4. (obsolete) to cut off; to separate
   • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State

     Our seat denies us traffic here; / The sea, too near, decides us from the rest.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• make up one's mind
• choose
• determine
• pick

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• de-iced, deiced

Asturian

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular present indicative of decidir

Esperanto

Etymology

From decidi +? -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de?t?side/
• Rhymes: -ide

Adverb

decide

1. decisively
2. decidedly

Interlingua

Verb

decide

1. present of decider
2. imperative of decider

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ide

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular present indicative of decidere

Anagrams

• decedi

Latin

Verb

d?c?de

1. second-person singular present active imperative of d?c?d?

Middle English

Verb

decide

1. Alternative form of deciden

Portuguese

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of decidir
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of decidir

Romanian

Etymology

From French décider, from Latin d?c?d?.

Verb

a decide (third-person singular present decide, past participle decis) 3rd conj.

1. to decide

   Synonym: hot?rî

Conjugation

Related terms

• decizie

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /de??ide/, [d?e??i.ð?e]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /de?side/, [d?e?si.ð?e]

Verb

decide

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of decidir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of decidir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of decidir.

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin coniect?ra (“a guess”), from coniectus, perfect passive participle of c?nici? (“throw or cast together; guess”), from con- (“together”) + iaci? (“throw, hurl”); see jet. Compare adjective, eject, inject, project, reject, subject, object, trajectory.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /k?n?d???k.t???(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /k?n?d???k.t???/

Noun

conjecture (countable and uncountable, plural conjectures)

1. (formal) A statement or an idea which is unproven, but is thought to be true; a guess.

   I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.

2. (formal) A supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.

   The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.

3. (mathematics, linguistics) A statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.
4. (obsolete) Interpretation of signs and omens.

Synonyms

• halseny
• See also Thesaurus:supposition

Related terms

• conject
• conjectural

Translations

Verb

conjecture (third-person singular simple present conjectures, present participle conjecturing, simple past and past participle conjectured)

1. (formal, intransitive) To guess; to venture an unproven idea.

   I do not know if it is true; I am simply conjecturing here.

2. (transitive) To infer on slight evidence; to guess at.
   • February 22, 1685, Robert South, All Contingences under the Direction of God's Providence (sermon preached at Westminster Abbey)

     Human reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what will be.

Translations

Further reading

• conjecture in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “conjecture”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• conjecture in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin coniect?ra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.??k.ty?/

Noun

conjecture f (plural conjectures)

1. conjecture

Usage notes

Not to be confused with conjoncture.

Verb

conjecture

1. first-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
2. third-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
5. second-person singular imperative of conjecturer

Further reading

• “conjecture” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Participle

conject?re

1. vocative masculine singular of conject?rus

Portuguese

Verb

conjecture

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of conjecturar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of conjecturar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of conjecturar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of conjecturar