Etymologically
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discretionary

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 01:08. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /dɪˈskɹɛʃən(ə)ɹi/[1]
  • US: /dɪsˈkɹɛʃəˌnɛɹi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English discretion + -ary.[2][3][4] Discretion, recorded from about 1300, is from Old French discrecion and directly from Late Latin discrētiō (“discernment”),[5][3] which in classical Latin meant separation or distinction, from discernō (“to separate, distinguish”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Left to or exercised at one's own discretion; optional: 1643, in Patrick Darcy's Argument on the Commons of Ireland.[2][6] Etymonline finds it implied in discretionarily in the 1680s,[3] and Dictionary.com dates it to 1690–1700.[4]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defined it as "left at large; unlimited; unrestrained", quoting Ayliffe's Parergon on a bishop's freedom to admit a deacon to orders when he thinks fit.[7] From 1712 to the mid-18th century it could also mean discreet or prudent in behaviour, as in Steele's Spectator,[2][6] and it was used briefly as an adverb, at one's discretion.[2] In finance, a discretionary account or portfolio, from 1885, is one that a broker manages with full freedom on a client's behalf,[2] and in later use the word was applied to resources that are available to spend as one chooses, as in discretionary income.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1643 – left to or exercised at one's discretion.[2][6]
  • 1712 – discreet, prudent (obsolete after 1753).[2]
  • 1885 – in finance, of an account managed at a broker's discretion.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Left to the judgment of the person concerned; used or exercised as one sees fit: The judge has discretionary authority over the sentence.[6][8][2]
  2. Available to be used or spent as one chooses: After paying the rent, they had little discretionary income.[6][2]
  3. (finance) Of an account or portfolio, managed by a broker with full freedom on a client's behalf.[2]
  4. (archaic) Discreet; showing discretion.[6][2]

Word family

  • discretionarily
  • nondiscretionary
  • discretionary account
  • discretionary income

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins