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of a certainty

[sur-tn-tee]

Origin

noun, plural -ties.

the state of being certain.

something certain; an assured fact.

Idiom

for/of a certainty, certainly; without a doubt: I suspect it, but I don't know it for a certainty.

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Of a certainty is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English certeinte < Anglo-French, equivalent to certein certain + -te -ty²

Related forms

non·cer·tain·ty, noun, plural -ties.

Can be confused: certainty, certitude.

Synonyms
1. certitude, assurance, confidence. See belief. 2. truth.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

certainty

c.1300, "surety, pledge," from Anglo-Fr. certeinté (late 13c.), O.Fr. certainté, from L. or V.L. *certanitatem (cf. O.Sp. certanedad); see certain. Meaning "that which is certain" is attested from early 14c.; meaning "quality of being certain" is from mid-14c.

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"If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life ... for fear that I should get some of his good done to me,—some of its virus mingled with my blood."

-Henry David Thoreau

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