Story Words

Southland Times, Issue 20771, 11 May 1929, Page 22

Story Words

Discretion. This word expresses the idea of ability to perceive things in such a way as to distinguish and separate them, one from another. An instinctive tendency to decide with prudence and circumspection upon the wisest course of conduct is true discretion. Oiscernere, to separate from, is the Latin verb from which discretion, discernment, discreet and discrete are till formed. Discretion implies a freedom of will to pass judgment upon affairs, to separate the true from the untrue. Discretion and discernment are both mental processes, but the former emphasizes the faculty of prudence, the latter of keenness. Discreet and discrete are frequently confused, and formerly both were spelled discrete. Tn present day usage, however, discreet signifies tactful, cautious, judicious, -while discrete means separate or distinct. When Shakespeare said “the better part of valour is discretion,” he was surely emphasizing the idea of judiciousness. In dis-cre-tion the second syllable sounds like “kresh” and is stressed. Sound the i as in dish, e as in end, io as U in circus. “Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.”