Etymologically
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undisclosed

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌʌndɪsˈkləʊzd/[1]
  • US: /ˌʌndɪsˈkloʊzd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + disclosed, the past participle of disclose.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not revealed or made known: 1571, in Arthur Golding's translation of Calvin's commentary on the Psalms.[2] Etymonline dates it to the 1560s.[3]

Semantic evolution

From 1581 the word could also mean "unhatched", following an old sense of disclose, to hatch; the Shorter Oxford calls this sense rare or obsolete.[2][5] A verb undisclose, to keep from disclosing, is recorded from about 1600.[3] In modern use the adjective is common in financial and legal contexts, of an unnamed sum, source or principal.[4][6]

Timeline

  • 1571 – not revealed or made known.[2]
  • 1581 – unhatched.[2]
  • c. 1600 – verb undisclose.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not made known or revealed: The team was bought for an undisclosed fee.[4][6][5]
  2. Not named or identified: an undisclosed location.[4][5]
  3. (rare) Of a young bird, not yet hatched.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins