discoverv.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman descoverir, descovrir, descuverir, discoverir, discovrir, discuverir, discouvrir, descoverer, discoverer, descoverre, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French descovrir, Anglo-Norman and Middle French descouvrir (compare Anglo-Norman decoverir , decovrir , decuvrir ; Middle French, French découvrir ) to expose (a thing) to sight (first half of the 12th cent. in Old French), to make known, reveal, divulge (something not generally known) (first half of the 12th cent.), to betray (a person) (second half of the 12th cent.), to take a physical covering off (a person or thing) (second half of the 12th cent., originally and frequently with reference to undressing), (in chess) to reveal (an attack, especially check) by removing a piece which stands between the attacking piece and the piece being attacked (13th cent.), to remove the roof of (a building) (13th cent.), to confess one's sins (end of the 13th cent. or earlier, reflexive), to reconnoitre, survey (a place or country) (14th cent.; also used intransitively (last quarter of the 14th cent.)), to reveal or manifest (an attribute, quality, circumstance, etc.) unconsciously or unintentionally, especially by one's actions or behaviour (c1344), to explore (1558, in the passage translated in quot. 1568 at sense 3c, or earlier), to catch sight of (a place) (although this is first attested slightly later than in English: 1564) < post-classical Latin discooperire (also discoperire ) to remove the covering from, uncover, to remove (a covering), to reveal, lay bare (Vetus Latina, Vulgate), to betray (9th cent.), to unroof (frequently from 11th cent. in British sources), to reconnoitre (13th cent.), to explore (from 15th cent. in British sources) < classical Latin dis- dis- prefix + cooperīre cover v.¹ Compare Old Occitan descobrir , descubrir (11th cent.), Catalan descobrir (14th cent.), Spanish descubrir (mid 12th cent. as †descobrir ), Portuguese descobrir (13th cent.), Italian (now rare and literary) discoprire (end of the 13th cent.; last quarter of the 12th cent. as †descovrire , end of the 13th cent. as †discovrire ; the now usual Italian verb is the etymologically distinct scoprire (1313), which shows the reflex of classical Latin ex- ex- prefix¹).Form history. With the α. forms compare cure v.²; with the δ. forms compare e.g. e'er at ever adv. and adj. β. forms, ne'er adv. These two form types show elision (and in some cases perhaps vocalization) of the medial -v- , frequently for metrical reasons. Compare e.g. β. forms at adventure n., stew n.² With the α. forms, perhaps compare Anglo-Norman (rare) descorir , descurere (both end of the 13th cent.), although these may simply show transmission errors. The δ. forms have no parallel in French. The γ. forms reflect the stressed stem Anglo-Norman discuevr-, Anglo-Norman and Old French descuevr-, Middle French desqueuvr-; compare discussion of the now regional type kiver at cover v.¹ It is unclear whether some instances of the Middle English past participial forms discouert, discouerte at β. forms should instead be taken as showing discovert adj. (compare the note at discovert adj. 1). Specific senses. In senses 4d and 7b originally after Italian scoprire (respectively 1585, in the passage translated in quot. 1600, or earlier, and 1560, in the passage translated in quot. 1588, or earlier).