Part 323

Dis*cern"i*bly, adv. In a manner to be discerned; perceptibly; visibly. Hammond.

Dis*cern"ing, a. Acute; shrewd; sagacious; sharp-sighted. Macaulay.

Dis*cern"ing*ly, adv. In a discerning manner; with judgment; judiciously; acutely. Garth.

Dis*cern"ment (?), n. [Cf. F. discernement.] 1. The act of discerning.

2. The power or faculty of the mind by which it distinguishes one thing from another; power of viewing differences in objects, and their relations and tendencies; penetrative and discriminate mental vision; acuteness; sagacity; insight; as, the errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment.

Syn. -- Judgment; acuteness; discrimination; penetration; sagacity; insight. -- Discernment, Penetration, Discrimination. Discernment is keenness and accuracy of mental vision; penetration is the power of seeing deeply into a subject in spite of everything that intercepts the view; discrimination is a capacity of tracing out minute distinctions and the nicest shades of thought. A discerning man is not easily misled; one of a penetrating mind sees a multitude of things which escape others; a discriminating judgment detects the slightest differences.

Dis*cerp" (?), v. t. [L. discerpere, discerptum; dis- + carpere to pluck.] 1. To tear in pieces; to rend. [R.] Stukeley.

2. To separate; to disunite. [R.] Bp. Hurd.

{ Dis*cerp`i*bil"i*ty (?), Dis*cerp`ti*bil"i*ty (?) }, n. Capability or liableness to be discerped. [R.] Wollaston.

{ Dis*cerp"i*ble (?), Dis*cerp"ti*ble (?) }, a. [See Discerp.] Capable of being discerped. [R.]

Dis*cerp"tion (?), n. [L. discerptio.] The act of pulling to pieces, or of separating the parts. Bp. Hall.

Dis*cerp"tive (?), a. Tending to separate or disunite parts. Encys. Dict.

Dis*ces"sion (?), n. [L. discessio, fr. discedere, discessum. See Discede.] Departure. [Obs.]

Dis*charge" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discharged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Discharging.] [OE. deschargen, dischargen, OF. deschargier, F. décharger; pref. des- (L. dis) + chargier, F. charger. See Charge.] 1. To relieve of a charge, load, or burden; to empty of a load or cargo; to unburden; to unload; as, to discharge a vessel.

2. To free of the missile with which anything is charged or loaded; to let go the charge of; as, to discharge a bow, catapult, etc.; especially, said of firearms, -- to fire off; to shoot off; also, to relieve from a state of tension, as a Leyden jar.

The galleys also did oftentimes, out of their prows, discharge their great pieces against the city.

Knolles.

Feeling in other cases discharges itself in indirect muscular actions.

H. Spencer.

3. To of something weighing upon or impeding over one, as a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to clear.

Discharged of business, void of strife.

Dryden.

In one man's fault discharge another man of his duty.

L'Estrange.

4. To relieve of an office or employment; to send away from service; to dismiss.

Discharge the common sort With pay and thanks.

Shak.

Grindal . . . was discharged the government of his see.