different between certainty vs certitude

English

Etymology

From Middle English certeynte (“surety”), from Anglo-Norman certeinte, from Old French certeinete, from Vulgar Latin *cert?nit?s, from Latin certus.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?tn?ti/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??tn?ti/
• Hyphenation: cer?tain?ty

Noun

certainty (countable and uncountable, plural certainties)

1. The state of being certain.

   Synonyms: certitude, sureness

   Antonyms: doubt, uncertainty

   • October 12, 1786, Fisher Ames, "Lucius Junius Brutus", in Independent Chronicle

     The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes.

2. An instance of being certain.
3. A fact or truth unquestionably established.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sure thing

   • November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk

     Yet the truth is that City would probably have been coasting by that point if the referee, Michael Oliver, had not turned down three separate penalties, at least two of which could be accurately described as certainties.

   • 1824, Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations Volume 1

     Certainties are uninteresting and sating.

Derived terms

• certainty equivalent
• of a certainty

Related terms

• certain

Translations

Further reading

• certainty on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From Middle French certitude, from Late Latin certit?d?, from Latin certus.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?t?t(j)ud/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??t?tju?d/

Noun

certitude (countable and uncountable, plural certitudes)

1. (uncountable) Sureness, certainty.

   I have absolute certitude about that.

2. (countable) Something that is a certainty.

   Taxes are obviously certitudes.

Synonyms

• certainty (more common)

Related terms

• certain
• sure

Translations

Anagrams

• rectitude

French

Etymology

From Middle French certitude, borrowed from Late Latin certit?d?, from Latin certus (“sure”) + suffix -tudo for noun of state, evolved in -tude in contemporary French.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??.ti.tyd/
• Homophone: certitudes
• Hyphenation: cer?ti?tude

Noun

certitude f (plural certitudes)

1. certitude

Synonyms

• assurance

Antonyms

• doute
• incertitude

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• rectitude

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin certit?d?, from Latin certus (“sure”).

Noun

certitude f (plural certitudes)

1. certainty (quality of being certain)

Descendants

• French: certitude