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Share This de·tect Audio Help / dɪˈtɛkt / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ di-tekt ] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –verb (used with object) 1. to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act: to detect someone cheating.
2. to discover the existence of: to detect the odor of gas.
3. to find out the true character or activity of: to detect a spy.
4. Telecommunications . a. to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
[Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L
détéctus (ptp. of
détegere ), equiv. to
dé- de- +
teg (
ere ) to cover +
-tus ptp. suffix
]
—Related forms de·tect·a·ble, de·tect·i·ble, adjective
de·tect·a·bil·i·ty, de·tect·i·bil·i·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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American Heritage Dictionary -
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Audio Help (dĭ-těkt') Pronunciation Key
de·tect·ed , de·tect·ing , de·tects
To discover or ascertain the existence, presence, or fact of.
To discern (something hidden or subtle): detected a note of sarcasm in the remark.
To learn something hidden and often improper about: detected the manager in a lie.
Electronics To demodulate.detecten , from Latin dētegere , dētēct- , to uncover : dē- , de- + tegere , to cover ; see (s)teg- in Indo-European roots.]
de·tect'a·ble , de·tect'i·ble adj. , de·tect'er n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Online Etymology Dictionary -
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1447, from L.
detectus, pp. of
detegere "uncover, disclose," from
de- "un-, off" +
tegere "to cover" (see
stegosaurus ).
Detective (n.) is 1850, short for
detective police. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet -
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Share This detect verb discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint"
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary -
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Share This detect [diˈtekt] verb
to notice or discover
Example:
She thought she could detect a smell of gas.
Arabic: يَكْتَشِف Chinese (Simplified): 察觉 Chinese (Traditional): 察覺 Czech: objevit, zjistit Danish: mærke; opdage Dutch: bespeuren Estonian: tajuma, tabama Finnish: havaita French: détecter German: entdecken Greek: εντοπίζω, αντιλαμβάνομαι Hungarian: felfedez Icelandic: uppgötva, átta sig á Indonesian: menemukan Italian: scoprire
Japanese: 見つける Korean: 알아내다, 밝히다, 눈치채다 Latvian: atklāt; uziet; atrast; uztvert Lithuanian: susekti, aptikti Norwegian: fornemme, merke, oppdage Polish: wykrywać, odkrywać Portuguese (Brazil): detectar Portuguese (Portugal): sentir Romanian: a detecta Russian: уловить Slovak: zistiť Slovenian: odkriti Spanish: detectar, sentir Swedish: upptäcka, uppdaga, märka Turkish: farkına varmak, sezmek, keşfetmek, bulmak
See also: detective
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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De*tect"\ (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), a. [L. detectus, p. p. of detegere to uncover, detect; de + tegere to cover. See
Tegument .] Detected. [Obs.] --Fabyan.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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De*tect"\ (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Detected ; p. pr. & vb. n.
Detecting .]
1. To uncover; to discover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect a crime or a criminal; to detect a mistake in an account.
Plain good intention . . . is as easily discovered at the first view, as fraud is surely detected at last. --Burke.
Like following life through creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope.
2. To inform against; to accuse. [Obs.]
He was untruly judged to have preached such articles as he was detected of. --Sir T. More.
Syn: To discover; find out; lay bare; expose.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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