/ dɪˈskriːt; NAmE / adjective
careful in what you say or do, in order to keep sth secret or to avoid causing embarrassment or difficulty for sb
SYN tactful :
He was always very discreet about his love affairs.
You ought to make a few discreet enquiries before you sign anything.
► dis·creet·ly adverb :
She coughed discreetly to announce her presence.
••
WORD FAMILY
discreet adjective (≠ indiscreet )
discretion noun (≠ indiscretion )
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French discret , from Latin discretus separate, past participle of discernere discern, the sense arising from late Latin discretio separation, from discernere , from dis- apart + cernere to separate. Compare with discrete .