cerner

to sift, to hover over

verb ser-NEHR Rare

Origin: From Latin cernere (to sift, to separate).

Also means

to loom, to hang over

Usage Note

Cerner has two distinct uses: literally, to sift flour or grain (cerner la harina), and figuratively, to hover or loom (una amenaza que se cierne sobre nosotros). The figurative reflexive cernerse is the more common modern use. It is irregular with stem change e→ie (se cierne). The alternative cernir also exists with a slightly different conjugation.

Examples

"Una amenaza se cierne sobre la ciudad."

Natural Translation

A threat is hanging over the city.

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