discovery English · revision 5093

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1553|origins=en discover, en -y}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /dɪˈskʌv.ər.i/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|en|discover|-y]],^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) on the pattern of the pair recover, recovery.^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) It is related to [[cover]] and [[recovery]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Finding out what was previously unknown: 1553 in the OED, the 1550s in Etymonline, in Hakluyt.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Earlier in this sense was ''discovering'', from the mid-14th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Revealing or divulging something secret is from the 1580s (1586 in the OED), a sense that kept the usual Middle English meaning of discover.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) It is now obsolete except in law, where disclosure of facts or documents by a party to an action is from 1715.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) That which is discovered is from the 1630s.^(Etymonline) Exploration or reconnaissance is from 1605 and is obsolete.^(OED 1989) The unfolding of the plot of a play is from 1727–51,^(OED 1989) and in American mining, the first finding of a mineral deposit, from 1812.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1553 – finding out.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1586 – revealing a secret.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1630s – a thing discovered.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1715 – in law, disclosure.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1812 – in mining.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act of finding something or learning something that was not known before.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Something or someone that has been found or learned.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(law)'' The compulsory [[disclosure]] of documents or facts to the other party in a case.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nondiscovery]]

+ * [[prediscovery]]

+ * [[rediscovery]]

+ * [[self-discovery]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[discover]]

+ * [[discoverer]]

+ * [[recovery]]

+ * [[cover]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}