01 v. t. To uncover.
imp. & p. p.
Discovered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Discovering
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1.
To uncover.[Obs.]“Whether any man hath pulled down or discovered any church.” — Abp. Grindal.
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2.
To disclose; to lay open to view; to make visible; to reveal; to make known; to show (what has been secret, unseen, or unknown).[Archaic]“Go, draw aside the curtains, and discover The several caskets to this noble prince.” — Shak.“Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue.” — Bacon.“We will discover ourselves unto them.” — 1 Sam. xiv. 8.“Discover not a secret to another.” — Prov. xxv. 9.
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3.
To obtain for the first time sight or knowledge of, as of a thing existing already, but not perceived or known; to find; to ascertain; to espy; to detect.“Some to discover islands far away.” — Shak.
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4.
To manifest without design; to show.“The youth discovered a taste for sculpture.” — C. J. Smith.
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5.
To explore; to examine.[Obs.]
Syn.
To disclose; bring out; exhibit; show; manifest; reveal; communicate; impart; tell; espy; find; out; detect. -- To Discover, Invent. We discover what existed before, but remained unknown; we invent by forming combinations which are either entirely new, or which attain their end by means unknown before. Columbus discovered America; Newton discovered the law of gravitation; Whitney invented the cotton gin; Galileo invented the telescope.