Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CER'TAIN-LY, adv.

1. Without doubt or question; in truth and fact. Certainly this was a righteous man. – Luke xxiii.
2. Without failure. He said, I will certainly return to thee. – Gen. xviii.

CER'TAIN-NESS, n.

Certainty, – which see.

CER'TAIN-TY, n.

1. A fixed or real state; truth; fact. Know for a certainty, that the Lord your God will no more drive out these nations. – Josh. xxiii. Luke i.
2. Full assurance of mind; exemption from doubt. Certainty is the perception of the agreement or disagreement of our ideas. – Locke.
3. Exemption from failure; as, the certainty of an event, or of the success of a medicine. The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes. – Ames.
4. Regularity; settled state.

CER'TES, adv.

Certainly; in truth; verily. [Obs.] – Chaucer.

CER-TIF'I-CATE, n. [Fr. certificat; It. certificato. See Certify.]

1. In a general sense, a written testimony not sworn to; a declaration in writing, signed by the party, and intended to verify a fact.
2. In a more particular sense, the written declaration, under the hand or seal or both, of some public officer, to be used as evidence in a court, or to substantiate a fact. A certificate of this kind may be considered as given under the oath of office.
3. Trial by certificate, is where the evidence of the person certifying is the only proper criterion of the point in dispute; as when the issue is whether a person was absent in the army, this is tried by the certificate of the Mareschall of the army, in writing under his seal. – Blackstone.

CER-TIF'I-CATE, v.t. [or i.]

1. To give a certificate; to lodge a certificate with the proper officer, for the purpose of being exempted from the payment of taxes to support the ministry, in a parish or ecclesiastical society. – New-England.
2. To give a certificate to, acknowledging one to be a parishioner. But such certificated person can gain no settlement. – Blackstone, B. 1, ch. 9.
3. To verify by certificate.

CER-TIF'I-CA-TED, pp.

Declared; verified by a certificate.

CER-TIF-I-CA'TING, ppr.

Furnishing with a certificate; verifying by a certificate.

CER-TIF-I-CA'TION, n.

The act of certifying.

CER'TI-FI-ED, pp. [See Certify.]

Assured; made certain; informed.

CER'TI-FI-ER, n.

One who certifies, or assures.

CER'TI-FY, v.t. [Fr. certifier; Sp. certificar; It. certificare; Low L. certifico; from certus, certain, and facio, to make.]

1. To testify to in writing; to make a declaration in writing, under hand, or hand and seal, to make known or establish a fact. The judges shall certify their opinion to the chancellor, and upon such certificate, the decree is usually founded. The judge shall certify under his hand, that the freehold came chiefly in question. – Blackstone.
2. To give certain information to; applied to persons. We have sent and certified the king. – Ezra iv.
3. To give certain information of; applied to things. This is designed to certify those things that are confirmed of God's favor. – Hammond. It is followed by of, after the person, and before the thing told; as, I certified you of the fact.

CER'TI-FY-ING, ppr.

Giving a written testimony, or certificate; giving certain notice; making certainly known.

CER-TIO-RA'RI, n. [Low L. certioror, from certus, certior.]

A writ issuing out of Chancery, King's Bench or other superior court, to call up the records of an inferior court, or remove a cause there depending, that it may be tried in the superior court. This writ is obtained upon complaint of a party, that he has not received justice, or that he can not have an impartial trial, in the inferior court. – Encyc.

CER'TI-TUDE, n. [Low L. certitudo, from certus, certain.]

Certainty; assurance; freedom from doubt. – Dryden.

CE-RU'LE-AN, or CE-RU'LE-OUS, a. [L. cæruleus; It. and Sp. ceruleo.]

Sky-colored; blue. – Thomson.

CE-RU-LIF'IC, a.

Producing a blue or sky-color.

CE-RU'MEN, n. [L. cera, wax.]

The wax or yellow matter secreted by the ear.

CER'USE, n. [Fr. ceruse; L. and It. cerussa; Sp. cerusa.]

White-lead; a carbonate of lead, produced by exposing the metal in thin plates to the vapor of vinegar. Lead is sometimes found native in the form of ceruse. Ceruse of antimony is a white oxyd of antimony, which separates from the water in which diaphoretic antimony has been washed. – Nicholson.

CER'U-SED, a.

Washed with a preparation of white lead. – Beaum.

CER'VI-CAL, a. [L. cervix, the neck, whence cervicalis.]

Belonging to the neck; as, the cervical nerves; cervical vessels. – Encyc.

CERV'INE, a. [L. cervinus; Sp. cervino; from L. cervus, a deer; W. carw; Corn. and Arm. karu; Kamtchatka, karo.]

Pertaining to the deer, or to animals of the genus Cervus.

CE-SA'RE-AN, a.

The Cesarean operation is the taking of a child from the womb by cutting; an operation, which, it is said, gave name to Cæsar, the Roman emperor.

CES-PI-TI'TIOUS, a. [L. cespes, turf.]

Pertaining to turf; made of turf. – Gough.

CES'PI-TOSE, a. [L. cespes, turf.]

In botany, growing in tufts.