determinate
/dɪˈtɜːmɪnət/adjective, noun
determinate is spelled D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, determinate means “Distinct, clearly defined” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in determinate?
| Letters | 11: D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is determinate?
Determinate appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce determinate?
- UK /dɪˈtɜːmɪnət/
Determinate has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-determinate1.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of determinate
- determinates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- determinating participle, present
- determinated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does determinate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Distinct, clearly defined.
- 2
Fixed, determined, set, unvarying.
- 3
Of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.
- 4
Conclusive; decisive; positive.
- 5
obsoleteDetermined or resolved upon.
- 6
Of determined purpose; resolute.
noun
- 1
A single state of a particular determinable attribute.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo bring to an end; to determine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate determinate?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of determinate: det..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Determinate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense distinct, defined:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | bestimmt, entschieden, eindeutig |
| Spanish | determinado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does determinate come from?
From Middle English determinate, determynat, determinat, from Latin dēterminātus, perfect passive participle of dēterminō (“to limit, set bounds”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).