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Incapable of being counted; not ascertainable; innumerable.

That may be dated; having a known or ascertainable date. "Datable almost to a year." The Century.

Capable of being defined, limited, or explained; determinable; describable by definition; ascertainable; as, definable limits; definable distinctions or regulations; definable words. -- De*fin"a*bly, adv.

To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly; as, the defining power of an optical instrument. Rings . . . very distinct and well defined. Sir I. Newton.

Act of ascertaining and explaining the signification; a description of a thing by its properties; an explanation of the meaning of a word or term; as, the definition of "circle;" the definition of "wit;" an exact definition; a loose definition. Definition being nothing but making another understand by words what the te…

The act of marking, or of ascertaining and setting a limit; separation; distinction. The speculative line of demarcation, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable. Burke.

An instrument for ascertaining the specific gravity or density of a substance.

Capable of being determined, definitely ascertained, decided upon, or brought to a conclusion. Not wholly determinable from the grammatical use of the words. South.

In a determinate manner; definitely; ascertainably. The principles of religion are already either determinately true or false, before you think of them. Tillotson.

To ascertain definitely; to find out the specific character or name of; to assign to its true place in a system; as, to determine an unknown or a newly discovered plant or its name.

To ascertain by diagnosis; to diagnosticate. See Diagnosticate.

That part of medicine which has to do with ascertaining the nature of diseases by means of their symptoms or signs. His rare skill in diagnostics. Macaulay.

k. I applied myself to the perusal of our writers; and noting whatever might be of use to ascertain or illustrate any word or phrase, accumulated in time the materials of a dictionary. Johnson.

or knowledge of, as of a thing existing already, but not perceived or known; to find; to ascertain; to espy; to detect. Some to discover islands far away. Shak.

Finding out or ascertaining something previously unknown or unrecognized; as, Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood. A brilliant career of discovery and conquest. Prescott. We speak of the "invention" of printing, the discovery of America. Trench.

To separate into two parts, in order to ascertain the votes for and against a measure; as, to divide a legislative house upon a question.

Separation of the members of a deliberative body, esp. of the Houses of Parliament, to ascertain the vote. The motion passed without a division. Macaulay.

The art or practice of applying tests to ascertain the nature, quality, etc., of objects, as of metals or ores, of medicines, or of facts pertaining to physiology.

to make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect. [U.S.]

An apparatus for determining the amount of oil contained in any substance, or for ascertaining the degree of purity of oil.