certo

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese certo (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin certus.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (standard) /ˈθɛɾto/ [ˈθɛɾ.t̪ʊ]
IPA^(key): (seseo) /ˈsɛɾto/ [ˈsɛɾ.t̪ʊ]

Rhymes: -ɛɾto
Hyphenation: cer‧to

Adjective

certo (feminine certa, masculine plural certos, feminine plural certas)

right, correct
certain
fixed, settled, firm
sure
Non estou certo diso ― I'm not sure about that

Related terms

References

Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “certo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “certo”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “certo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “certo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “certo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Interlingua

Adverb

certo (not comparable)

certainly

Italian

Etymology

From Latin certus.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɛr.to/
Audio:: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛrto
Hyphenation: cèr‧to

Adjective

certo (feminine certa, masculine plural certi, feminine plural certe, superlative certissimo)

certain, sure
reliable
real, true
- Dante, Inferno 1.66:
  qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo!
  1867 translation by Longfellow
  whiche’er thou art, or shade or real man!
(preposition) some, certain

Antonyms

incerto

Derived terms

Related terms

Adverb

certo

certainly, of course, surely, definitely
Synonyms: certamente, di certo, sicuramente, di sicuro

Descendants

→ Sardinian: tzertu

Anagrams

corte, recto, torce

Latin

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈker.toː/, [ˈkɛrt̪oː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃer.to/, [ˈt͡ʃɛrt̪o]

Etymology 1

From certus (“resolved, certain”) +‎ -ō.

Alternative forms

certor

Verb

certō (present infinitive certāre, perfect active certāvī, supine certātum); first conjugation

to match, vie with, emulate
Synonym: aemulor
to fight, wrestle
Synonyms: lūctor, repugnō, pugnō, contendō, dēcernō, concurrō, bellō, dīmicō, cōnflīgō, committō, serō, dēcertō
to contend, compete, race
to struggle, strive
Synonyms: lūctor, cōnītor, cōnor, ēlabōrō, temptō, affectō, adnītor, īnsequor, appetō, labōrō, tendō, quaerō, studeō, ēnītor, pugnō, mōlior, contendō, perīclitor, spectō, nītor
(military) to fight it out
(law) to dispute
Synonyms: dēcertō, contendō
(with infinitive) to try hard
- Vergilius, Aeneid X, 130:
  Hi iaculis, illi certant defendere saxis
  These try to defend with javelins, those with stones

Conjugation

Conjugation of certō (first conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
indicative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	certō	certās	certat	certāmus	certātis	certant
	imperfect	certābam	certābās	certābat	certābāmus	certābātis	certābant
	future	certābō	certābis	certābit	certābimus	certābitis	certābunt
	perfect	certāvī	certāvistī, certāstī²	certāvit, certāt²	certāvimus, certāmus²	certāvistis, certāstis²	certāvērunt, certāvēre, certārunt²
	pluperfect	certāveram, certāram²	certāverās, certārās²	certāverat, certārat²	certāverāmus, certārāmus²	certāverātis, certārātis²	certāverant, certārant²
	future perfect	certāverō, certārō²	certāveris, certāris²	certāverit, certārit²	certāverimus, certārimus²	certāveritis, certāritis²	certāverint, certārint²
passive	present	certor	certāris, certāre	certātur	certāmur	certāminī	certantur
	imperfect	certābar	certābāris, certābāre	certābātur	certābāmur	certābāminī	certābantur
	future	certābor	certāberis, certābere	certābitur	certābimur	certābiminī	certābuntur
	perfect	certātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	certātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	certātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
subjunctive		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	certem	certēs	certet	certēmus	certētis	certent
	imperfect	certārem	certārēs	certāret	certārēmus	certārētis	certārent
	perfect	certāverim, certārim²	certāverīs, certārīs²	certāverit, certārit²	certāverīmus, certārīmus²	certāverītis, certārītis²	certāverint, certārint²
	pluperfect	certāvissem, certāssem²	certāvissēs, certāssēs²	certāvisset, certāsset²	certāvissēmus, certāssēmus²	certāvissētis, certāssētis²	certāvissent, certāssent²
passive	present	certer	certēris, certēre	certētur	certēmur	certēminī	certentur
	imperfect	certārer	certārēris, certārēre	certārētur	certārēmur	certārēminī	certārentur
	perfect	certātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	certātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	certā	—	—	certāte	—
active	future	—	certātō	certātō	—	certātōte	certantō
passive	present	—	certāre	—	—	certāminī	—
passive	future	—	certātor	certātor	—	—	certantor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		certāre	certāvisse, certāsse²	certātūrum esse	certārī, certārier¹	certātum esse	certātum īrī
participles		certāns	—	certātūrus	—	certātus	certandus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		certandī	certandō	certandum	certandō	certātum	certātū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.
²At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

Derived terms

Descendants

Albanian: qërtoj
Aromanian: ntsertu, ntsirtari
Italian: certare
Portuguese: certar
Romanian: certa, certare
Sardinian: chertare, certari, certai

Etymology 2

From certus +‎ -ō.

Adverb

certō (comparative certius, superlative certissimē)

certainly, surely
with certainty, without doubt

Synonyms

certē

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

certō

dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of certus

References

Professor Kidd, et al. Collins Gem Latin Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers (Glasgow: 2004). →ISBN. page 54.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese certo, from Latin certus (“certain”), past participle of cernō (“to sift; to discern”), from Proto-Indo-European *krey- (“to move; to separate”).

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.tu/ [ˈsɛh.tu]
- (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.tu/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.tu/ [ˈsɛχ.tu]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɻ.to/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.tu/

Hyphenation: cer‧to

Adjective

certo (feminine certa, masculine plural certos, feminine plural certas, comparable, comparative mais certo, superlative o mais certo or certíssimo, diminutive certinho)

right; correct (not containing errors)
Synonym: correto

Antonyms: errado, incorreto

A resposta está certa. ― The answer is correct.
certain; sure (without doubt)
Antonym: incerto
- 1572, Luís Vaz de Camões, Os Lusíadas, 8th canto:
  Que leuar a ſeu Rei hum ſinal certo / Do mundo, que deixa deſcuberto.
  Than taking to his king a certain sign / Of the world he leaves discovered.
precise; accurate
Synonyms: certeiro, preciso

Antonym: impreciso
morally right; just
inevitable (impossible to avoid or prevent)
Synonym: inevitável

Antonym: evitável

A morte é certa. ― Death is inevitable.

Adverb

certo (comparable, comparative mais certo, superlative o mais certo)

correctly
Synonym: corretamente

Antonyms: erroneamente, incorretamente
- Fernando Pessoa (heteronym Alberto Caeiro), O espelho reflecte certo:
  O espelho reflecte certo; não erra porque não pensa.
  The mirror reflects correctly; it doesn't miss because it doesn't think.
surely
Synonyms: certamente, por certo, indubitavelmente, sem dúvida
- 1572, Luís Vaz de Camões, Os Lusíadas, 2nd canto:
  Mas tu, em quem muy certo confiamos
  But you, who we very surely trust.

Determiner

certo (feminine certa, masculine plural certos, feminine plural certas)

certain (determined but unspecified)

Derived terms

Related terms

Interjection

certo

OK, all right