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dis·creet 
Audio Help [di-skreet] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [di-skreet] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | judicious in one's conduct or speech, esp. with regard to respecting privacy or maintaining silence about something of a delicate nature; prudent; circumspect. |
| 2. | showing prudence and circumspection; decorous: a discreet silence. |
| 3. | modestly unobtrusive; unostentatious: a discreet, finely wrought gold necklace. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
discreet
To learn more about discreet visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| dis·creet
Audio Help (dĭ-skrēt') Pronunciation Key
adj.
[Middle English, from Old French discret, from Medieval Latin discrētus, from Latin, past participle of discernere, to separate, discern; see discern.] dis·creet'ly adv., dis·creet'ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
discreet
1340, from O.Fr. discret, from L. discretus "separated, distinct," in M.L. "discerning, careful," from pp. of discernere "distinguish" (see discern). Spellings discrete and nativized discreet co-existed until after c.1600, when discreet became the common word for "careful, prudent," and discrete was maintained in philosophy, medicine, music and other disciplines that remembered L. and tried to stick close to it.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| discreet | |
adjective | |
| 1. | marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint; "his trusted discreet aide"; "a discreet, finely wrought gold necklace" [ant: indiscreet] |
| 2. | unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic; "a discerning editor"; "a discreet silence" [syn: discerning] |
| 3. | heedful of potential consequences; "circumspect actions"; "physicians are now more circumspect about recommending its use"; "a discreet investor" [syn: circumspect] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
discreet [diˈskriːt] adjective
wise, cautious and not saying anything which might cause trouble
Example: My secretary won't let the secret out — she's very discreet.
See also: discretionExample: My secretary won't let the secret out — she's very discreet.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Discreet
Dis*cern"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discerned; p. pr. & vb. n. Discerning.] [F. discerner, L. discernere, discretum; dis- + cernere to separate, distinguish. See Certain, and cf. Discreet.]1. To see and identify by noting a difference or differences; to note the distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish. To discern such buds as are fit to produce blossoms. --Boyle. A counterfeit stone which thine eye can not discern from a right stone. --Robynson (More's Utopia). 2. To see by the eye or by the understanding; to perceive and recognize; as, to discern a difference. And [I] beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. --Prov. vii. 7. Our unassisted sight . . . is not acute enough to discern the minute texture of visible objects. --Beattie. I wake, and I discern the truth. --Tennyson. Syn: To perceive; distinguish; discover; penetrate; discriminate; espy; descry; detect. See Perceive.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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