də̇ˈskəvə(r) verb
( discovered ; discovered ; discovering -v(ə)riŋ ; discovers )
Etymology: Middle English discoveren, discuren, from Old French descovrir, from Late Latin discooperire, from Latin dis- dis- (I) + cooperire to cover — more at cover
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make known (something secret, hidden, unknown, or previously unnoticed) : expose , disclose
discovered to his friend the sad state of his fortunes
the novelist Emily Brontë had to discover these absurdities to the girl Emily — Mark Schorer
b. : to reveal the identity of
God, when he discovered himself to the Israelites in Egypt — G.G.Coulton
discovering himself to the lovely culprit as her adoring and magnanimous lover — T.L.Peacock
c. archaic : to make manifest (as a characteristic or attribute) : exhibit , display , manifest
the very attempt towards pleasing everybody discovers a temper … often false and insincere — Edmund Burke
d. : to disclose to view (something hidden, covered, or previously unseen) ; specifically : to reveal on a theater stage when the curtain rises or when flats are parted or raised — used only in the past participial form
at curtain wife and mother-in-law are discovered packing fragile articles into a barrel — Saul Bellow
e. archaic : to disclose unwittingly (as by one's actions)
2. : to remove or lift a covering from : uncover
3.
a. : to obtain for the first time sight or knowledge of
discovered a large bay that now bears his name
discovered the circulation of the blood
discovered a number of writers who afterward gained wide recognition — Current Biography
b. : to detect the presence of : find , discern
discovered arsenic in the patient's sleeping potion
discover slights in the most innocent remarks — Joyce Cary
c. : to find out : ascertain
discovered he had lost his purse
d. archaic : to get sight of : sight , espy
e. archaic : explore , reconnoiter
intransitive verb
1. : to make a discovery
the rumor is false, as far as I can discover
2. obsolete
a. : explore , reconnoiter
b. : look , discern
c. : to make admission : confess
Synonyms:
ascertain , determine , detect , unearth , learn : discover means to come to know something not previously known, either by purposive search and investigation or by accident
a careful search at last discovered a small whirlpool — O.S.Nock
we shall never know who first discovered how to pound up metal-bearing rock and heat it in the fire — Tom Wintringham
ascertain usually indicates purposively directed study and investigation to find the truth or discover the facts
scientific experiment has ascertained how many trials are needed by a rat to grasp the idea that by taking a particular turn or giving a special push he can penetrate from one chamber of his prison house to a more desireable one — C.H.Grandgent
it has been ascertained by test borings that salt extends for 2200 feet below the surface — American Guide Series: Louisiana
determine may stress intent to decide or establish the truth definitively
the executor must assemble all available records to determine the decedent's assets and liabilities — Richard Gehman
his duties for the next seven years included inspecting ships, including nearly all the largest vessels in the world, to determine seaworthiness and compliance with laws — Current Biography
detect may apply to discovering something well hidden, masked, or present only in trace quantities
it was he who first detected the small variations in hundreds of stars closely packed into the globular clusters — Leon Campbell
the shadowy passages, often hard to detect — J.W.Schaefer
still feebler is the final sonant, as in bid, bed, bad. So weak is it that few hearers would detect its complete omission — C.H.Grandgent
unearth indicates bringing to light something lost, hidden, or otherwise very hard to trace, often after intensive investigation
and the Index of Design division of the project has unearthed and reproduced many valuable examples of early American design — American Guide Series: Washington
when a legislative committee began an investigation of the activities of the previous session, the Yazoo land fraud was unearthed — Sidney Warren
learn in this sense may indicate a being told or otherwise acquiring knowledge with little effort or intention
go at once to your father, and learn where you stand — L.C.Douglas
it is said that the young lieutenant who directed the bombardment was a staunch Episcopalian and that he was horrified when he learned that he had shelled his own church — American Guide Series: Louisiana
Synonym: see in addition reveal .
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