discret

Forms

discret (feminine discrète, masculine plural discrets, feminine plural discrètes)^[1] Old French also discré, and Anglo-Norman descret.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin discrētus (“separated, divided, discontinuous”), the past participle of discernō (“to separate, distinguish”), which in Late Latin also meant “able to judge, discerning, prudent”.^[3][4][5] Bloch and Wartburg take the sense “capable of discerning” from Medieval Latin, where it grew out of the verb, the classical sense “separated” being rarely taken over.^[6]

The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert print two headwords: the common adjective (1160), from the medieval sense, and a learned adjective (1484) taken again from the classical sense “separated”.^[7][8] Rey likewise describes the second as a new adjective formed by a fresh borrowing of the classical Latin word in the sense “different” in the early 14th century, while the TLFi gives both under one etymology.^[4][3]

Cognate with Old Occitan discret, Spanish discreto and Italian discreto.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie (about 1165) uses it of a person who can discern, meaning “wise, prudent”.^[3][10]

Semantic evolution

The sense “wise, prudent” taken over from Latin went out of use before the 16th century, but the stress on prudence led to the modern senses: “able to keep a secret” (early 14th century, in the Ovide moralisé) and “reserved, restrained” (late 15th to early 16th century).^[4][3] The old sense survived in titles: vénérable et discrète personne was an honorific formerly given to priests, and a père discret or mère discrète sat on the council of a religious superior, whence the noun discrétoire (1620).^[3][4] Bloch and Wartburg date the dominant sense of reserve to the 17th century, developed in parallel with discrétion.^[6]

The learned sense “separate, discontinuous” appears in the early 14th century as “different” and in mathematics in 1484, in Nicolas Chuquet's quantité discrete.^[3][4] The same idea was used in medicine from 1834 (variole discrète, smallpox with separate pustules) and in linguistics from the early 20th century, and in the 1980s gave the mathematical verb discrétiser.^[3][4]

English discreet and discrete both come from Old French discret and Latin discretus in the late 14th century.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 1165 – Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses it for “wise, prudent”.^[3]
• c. 1165 – The derivative discrètement is recorded about this time.^[4]
• Early 14th century – The Ovide moralisé has the senses “able to keep a secret” and “different”.^[3]
• 1484 – Nicolas Chuquet uses quantité discrete in mathematics.^[3]
• 1488 – indiscret is recorded.^[6]
• Late 15th to early 16th century – Jean Marot uses it of something restrained.^[3]
• 1546 – Rabelais has mère discrète.^[3]
• 1620 – discrétoire is first recorded.^[3]
• 1834 – Variole discrète appears in a medical journal.^[3]
• Early 20th century – The linguistic sense “discrete, distinct” appears.^[4][8]
• c. 1980 – The derivative discrétiser is formed.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Showing restraint in dealings with others, not intruding into their affairs; discreet.^[8][12]
2. Not drawing attention, unobtrusive, understated.^[8][12]
3. Able to keep a secret.^[4][3]
4. (obsolete) Wise, discerning; in old titles, vénérable et discrète personne (of priests), and père discret, mère discrète, a member of a religious superior's council.^[3][10]
5. (mathematics) discrete, taking only separate values, as opposed to continu: grandeur discrète.^[8][9]
6. (linguistics) Of a unit: separable by analysis, distinct.^[8][3]
7. (medicine) Of an eruption: with its elements spaced apart, as in variole discrète.^[8][9]

Word family

• discrètement
• indiscret
• discrétoire
• discrétiser

Related words

• discerner
• discrétion
• Latin discrētus
• English discreet
• English discrete

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 92b
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)