discretion

nouncommon in dialogue

//dɪˈskɹɛʃən//

The quality of being discreet.

noun

1
The quality of being discreet.
Bob showed great discretion despite his knowledge of the affair.
2
The ability to make wise choices or decisions.
With regard to a woman, at nine years of age, she was, if married, considered entitled to her dower; at twelve, she may consent to marriage; at fourteen, she is at years of discretion, and may choose a guardian; […]
3
The freedom to make one's own judgements.
I leave that to your discretion.
4
The freedom to make one's own judgements. The authority to exercise one's own judgement in making decisions that have effect.
The police came and searched us at their discretion because we were shouting at each other's faces.

Etymology

From Middle English discrecioun, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discrētiō, from Latin discerno. Equivalent to discreet + -ion.

Forms

plural: discretions

discredit · To harm the good reputation of (a person).discreet · Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order…discreetly · Acting in a discreet manner; acting in a way that respects…

discretion · The quality of being discreet.

discrimination · Discernment, the act of discriminating, discerning,…discuss · To converse or debate concerning a particular topic.discussed · Having been put under discussion.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.