different between profound vs certain

English

Etymology

From Middle English profound, from Anglo-Norman profound, from Old French profont, from Latin profundus, from pro + fundus (“bottom; foundation”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: pr?-found?, IPA^(key): /p???fa?nd/
• Rhymes: -a?nd
• Hyphenation: pro?found

Adjective

profound (comparative more profound, superlative most profound)

1. Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.
2. Very deep; very serious
3. Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough
4. Characterized by intensity; deeply felt; pervading
   • 1603-1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

     How now! which of your hips has the most profound sciatica?

   • 1860, Henry Hart Milman, History of Latin Christianity : including that of the popes to the pontificate of Nicholas V.

     Of the profound corruption of this class there can be no doubt.

   • 2019, Shelina Janmohamed, Long before Shamima Begum, Muslim women were targets, in the Guardian.[1]

     It’s probably one of the reasons the Shamima Begum case is having such a profound impact; one-dimensional stereotypes about Muslim women already run so deep.

5. Bending low, exhibiting or expressing deep humility; lowly; submissive
   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair

     And with this, and a profound bow to his patrons, the Manager retires, and the curtain rises.

   • 17th century, Brian Duppa, Holy Rules and Helps to Devotion

     What humble gestures! What profound reverence!

Translations

Noun

profound (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) The deep; the sea; the ocean.
   • 1638, George Sandys, A Paraphrase vpon the Divine Poems, Exodvs 15:

     God, in the fathomlesse profound / Hath all his choice Commanders drown'd.

2. (obsolete) An abyss.
   • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost (Book II), 976-980:

     ...if some other place, / From your dominion won, th' Ethereal King / Possesses lately, thither to arrive / travel this profound. Direct my course...

Verb

profound (third-person singular simple present profounds, present participle profounding, simple past and past participle profounded)

1. (obsolete) To cause to sink deeply; to cause to dive or penetrate far down.
2. (obsolete) To dive deeply; to penetrate.

Related terms

• profundicate
• profundify
• profundity
• profoundness

Old French

Adjective

profound m (oblique and nominative feminine singular profounde)

1. (late Anglo-Norman) Alternative spelling of profont

English

Alternative forms

• certaine (obsolete)
• certeine (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English certeyn, certein, certain, borrowed from Old French certain, from a Vulgar Latin unattested form *cert?nus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ?ewiss (“certain, sure”)) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??tn?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?tn?/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /?s?t?n/, /?s?tn?/
• Rhymes: -??(?)t?n
• Hyphenation: cer?tain

Adjective

certain (comparative more certain, superlative most certain)

1. Sure, positive, not doubting.

   I was certain of my decision.

   Spain is now certain of a place in the finals.

2. (obsolete) Determined; resolved.
3. Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.
4. Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable.

   Bankruptcy is the certain outcome of your constant gambling and lending.
5. Unfailing; infallible.
   • 1702, Richard Mead, Mechanical Account of Poisons
6. I have often wished , that I knew so certain a remedy in any other disease
7. Fixed or stated; regular; determinate.

   • The people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day.

8. Known but not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; sometimes used independently as a noun, and meaning certain persons; see also "one".

   • It came to pass when he was in a certain city.

Synonyms

• (not doubting): See also Thesaurus:certain
• (sure to happen): unavoidable; See also Thesaurus:inevitable

Antonyms

• (not doubting): uncertain
• (sure to happen): impossible, incidental
• (known but not named): particular specific

Derived terms

• certainly (adv)

Related terms

• certainty (n)

Translations

Determiner

certain

1. Having been determined but not specified. The quality of some particular subject or object which is known by the speaker to have been specifically singled out among similar entities of its class.

Translations

Pronoun

certain

1. (with of) Unnamed or undescribed members (of).

   She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited

   • 1611, Bible (King James Version), Acts xxiii. 12

     Certain of the Jews banded together.

Synonyms

• (unnamed or undescribed members (of)): some

Noun

certain pl (plural only)

1. (with "the") Something certain.

Further reading

• certain at OneLook Dictionary Search
• certain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• certain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Cretian, ant rice, anticer, cantier, ceratin, citrean, creatin, crinate, nacrite, tacrine, tercian

French

Etymology

From Old French certain, from Vulgar Latin unattested form *cert?nus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??.t??/

Adjective

certain (feminine singular certaine, masculine plural certains, feminine plural certaines)

1. certain (sure, positive)

   Il est certain qu'il viendra.

   It is certain that he will arrive.

2. certain (fixed, determined)
3. certain (specified, particular)

Derived terms

Noun

certain m (plural certains)

1. certain; certainty

Determiner

certain

1. certain: a determined but unspecified amount of ; some

   Certaines personnes vont aller.

   Some people are going.

Related terms

• certainement
• certitude
• incertain

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• carient, centrai, cernait, crainte, criante, écriant, encirât, encrait

Old French

Alternative forms

• (Picard dialect) chertain

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *cert?nus, from Latin certus. Compare Old Italian and Old Spanish certano.

Adjective

certain m (oblique and nominative feminine singular certaine)

1. certain; sure

Declension

Synonyms

• seur

Related terms

• cert

Descendants

• ? Middle English: certeyn
  • English: certain
• French: certain