discover

Where does the word "discover" come from? It comes from Late Latin discooperire, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Discover’s story begins in Late Latin: discooperire meant “to uncover.” 'dis-', un-, plus 'cooperire', to cover. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as descovrir. Age of Exploration writers used 'discovery' for new lands. It reached English by 1300s as discover. The sense 'find for the first time' dates from the 1500s. Today, discover means to find unexpectedly.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient discooperire "to uncover", 'dis-', un-, plus 'cooperire', to cover.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval descovrir "to uncover", Age of Exploration writers used 'discovery' for new lands.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s discover "to uncover", the sense 'find for the first time' dates from the 1500s.