/ dɪˈtekt; NAmE / verb
[ vn ] to discover or notice sth, especially sth that is not easy to see, hear, etc. :
The tests are designed to detect the disease early.
an instrument that can detect small amounts of radiation
Do I detect a note of criticism?
➡ note at notice
► de·tect·able adjective :
The noise is barely detectable by the human ear.
OPP undetectable
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin detect- uncovered, from the verb detegere , from de- (expressing reversal) + tegere to cover. The original senses were uncover, expose and give someone away , later expose the real or hidden nature of ; hence the current senses (partly influenced by detective ).