overt

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English overte,^[2] borrowed from Anglo-Norman overt and overt, now ouvert,^[3][4][5] the past participle of ovrir (“to open”),^[4][5][6][7] from Vulgar Latin *ōperiō,^[4][6][8] an alteration of Latin aperiō (“to open, uncover”) influenced by cooperiō (“to cover”).^[6][8][2][4] Weekley saw in the change the pull of the opposite verb covrir (“to cover”).^[9] Etymonline traces the Latin verb to a compound Proto-Indo-European *ap-wer-yo-, from *ap- (“off, away”) and *wer- (“to cover”), and compares operiō (“to cover”) and Lithuanian atverti (“to open”).^[5] The Anglo-Norman verb is recorded from the early 12th century.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Open, not closed; unfastened or uncovered: about 1330, in Sir Degare.^[3][4] Etymonline notes that it was first used literally, of clothing or a book.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense is now archaic and rare;^[3][5] by the late 14th century the word had come to mean plain to see or know, manifest, done openly, recorded about 1400 in Pearl.^[3][5] In law an overt act, a deed that can be proved and implies criminal intent, is recorded from 1533, in Thomas More.^[3][11] Heraldry used it from about 1452 for a charge with wings or other parts spread open.^[3] Barnhart notes that overt and covert have both been used since the early 14th century and have perhaps reinforced each other.^[4] Johnson (1755) defined it as "open; publick; apparent".^[12]

Timeline

• c. 1330 – open, unfastened, uncovered.^[3][4]
• c. 1400 – open to view, manifest, done openly.^[3][5]
• c. 1452 – in heraldry, with wings or parts spread open.^[3]
• 1533 – overt act in law.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Done or shown openly; not hidden or secret; observable: overt hostility between the neighbours.^[11][8][3]
2. (law) overt act: an act that can be shown to have been done and that indicates criminal intent.^[3][11]
3. (heraldry) Having the wings or other parts spread open.^[3]

Word family

• overtly
• overtness
• unovert

Related words

• overture
• covert
• aperture
• aperient
• cover

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
11. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
12. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.