Discovert adjective [ Confer French découvert uncovered, Old French descovert . See Discover , Covert .] (Law) Not covert; not within the bonds of matrimony; unmarried; -- applied either to a woman who has never married or to a widow.

Discovert noun An uncovered place or part. [ Obsolete]

At discovert , uncovered. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Discoverture noun [ Prefix dis- + coverture : confer Old French descoverture .]
1. Discovery. [ Obsolete]

2. (Law) A state of being released from coverture; freedom of a woman from the coverture of a husband.

Discovery noun ; plural Discoveries
1. The action of discovering; exposure to view; laying open; showing; as, the discovery of a plot.

2. A making known; revelation; disclosure; as, a bankrupt is bound to make a full discovery of his assets.

In the clear discoveries of the next [ world].

South.

3. Finding out or ascertaining something previously unknown or unrecognized; as, Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood.

A brilliant career of discovery and conquest.

Prescott.

We speak of the "invention" of printing, the discovery of America.

Trench.

4. That which is discovered; a thing found out, or for the first time ascertained or recognized; as, the properties of the magnet were an important discovery .

5. Exploration; examination. [ Obsolete]

Discovery Day = Columbus Day , above.

Discradle transitive verb To take from a cradle. [ R.]

This airy apparition first discradled
From Tournay into Portugal.

Ford.

Discredit noun [ Confer French discrédit .]
1. The act of discrediting or disbelieving, or the state of being discredited or disbelieved; as, later accounts have brought the story into discredit .

2. Hence, some degree of dishonor or disesteem; ill repute; reproach; -- applied to persons or things.

It is the duty of every Christian to be concerned for the reputation or discredit his life may bring on his profession.

Rogers.

Syn. -- Disesteem; disrepute; dishonor; disgrace; ignominy; scandal; disbelief; distrust.

Discredit transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Discredited ; present participle & verbal noun Discrediting .] [ Confer French discréditer .]
1. To refuse credence to; not to accept as true; to disbelieve; as, the report is discredited .

2. To deprive of credibility; to destroy confidence or trust in; to cause disbelief in the accuracy or authority of.

An occasion might be given to the . . . papists of discrediting our common English Bible.

Strype.

2. To deprive of credit or good repute; to bring reproach upon; to make less reputable; to disgrace.

He. . . least discredits his travels who returns the same man he went.

Sir H. Wotton.

Discreditable adjective Not creditable; injurious to reputation; disgraceful; disreputable. -- Dis*cred"it*a*bly , adverb

Discreditor noun One who discredits.

Discreet adjective [ Compar. Discreeter ; superl. Discreetest .] [ French discret , Latin discretus separated (whence the meaning reserved , prudent ), past participle of discernere . See Discern , and confer Discrete .]
1. Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious.

It is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to society.

Addison.

Satire 's my weapon, but I 'm too discreet
To run amuck, and tilt at all I meet.

Pope.

The sea is silent, the sea is discreet .

Longfellow.

2. Differing; distinct. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

-- Dis*creet"ly , adverb -- Dis*creet"ness , noun

Discrepance (?; 277), Dis*crep"an*cy noun ; plural -ances , -ancies . [ Latin disrepantia : confer Old French discrepance . See Discrepant .] The state or quality of being discrepant; disagreement; variance; discordance; dissimilarity; contrariety.

There hath been ever a discrepance of vesture of youth and age, men and women.

Sir T. Elyot.

There is no real discrepancy between these two genealogies.

G. S. Faber.

Discrepant adjective [ Latin discrepans , -antis , present participle of discrepare to sound differently or discordantly; dis- + crepare to rattle, creak: confer Old French discrepant . See Crepitate .] Discordant; at variance; disagreeing; contrary; different.

The Egyptians were . . . the most oddly discrepant from the rest in their manner of worship.

Cudworth.

Discrepant noun A dissident. J. Taylor.

Discrete adjective [ Latin discretus , past participle of discernere . See Discreet .]
1. Separate; distinct; disjunct. Sir M. Hale.

2. Disjunctive; containing a disjunctive or discretive clause; as, "I resign my life, but not my honor," is a discrete proposition.

3. (Botany) Separate; not coalescent; -- said of things usually coalescent.

Discrete movement . See Concrete movement of the voice , under Concrete , adjective -- Discrete proportion , proportion where the ratio of the means is different from that of either couplet; as, 3:6::8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6 as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or continual proportion ; as, 3:6::12:24. -- Discrete quantity , that which must be divided into units, as number, and is opposed to continued quantity , as duration, or extension.

Discrete transitive verb To separate. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Discretely adverb Separately; disjunctively.

Discretion noun [ French discrétion , Latin discretio separation, difference, discernment, from discernere , discretum . See Discreet , Discern .]
1. Disjunction; separation. [ Obsolete] Mede.

2. The quality of being discreet; wise conduct and management; cautious discernment, especially as to matters of propriety and self-control; prudence; circumspection; wariness.

The better part of valor is discretion .

Shak.

The greatest parts without discretion may be fatal to their owner.

Hume.

3. Discrimination.

Well spoken, with good accent and good discretion .

Shak.

4. Freedom to act according to one's own judgment; unrestrained exercise of choice or will.

At discretion , without conditions or stipulations.

Discretional, Discretionary [ Confer French discrétionnaire .] Left to discretion; unrestrained except by discretion or judgment; as, an ambassador with discretionary powers.

Discretionally, Discretionarily adverb At discretion; according to one's discretion or judgment.

Discretive adjective [ Latin discretivus . See Discrete .] Marking distinction or separation; disjunctive.

Discretive proposition (Logic & Gram.) , one that expresses distinction, opposition, or variety, by means of discretive particles, as but , though , yet , etc.; as, travelers change their climate, but not their temper.

Discretively adverb In a discretive manner.

Discriminable adjective Capable of being discriminated. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Discriminal adjective [ Latin discriminalis serving to divide.] In palmistry, applied to the line which marks the separation between the hand and the arm.

Discriminant noun [ Latin discriminans , present participle of discriminare .] (Math.) The eliminant of the n partial differentials of any homogenous function of n variables. See Eliminant .

Discriminate adjective [ Latin discriminatus , past participle of discriminare to divide, separate, from discrimen division, distinction, decision, from discernere . See Discern , and confer Criminate .] Having the difference marked; distinguished by certain tokens. Bacon.

Discriminate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Discriminated ; present participle & verbal noun Discriminating .] To set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish. Cowper.

To discriminate the goats from the sheep.

Barrow.

Discriminate intransitive verb
1. To make a difference or distinction; to distinguish accurately; as, in judging of evidence, we should be careful to discriminate between probability and slight presumption.

2. (a) To treat unequally. (b) (Railroads) To impose unequal tariffs for substantially the same service.

Discriminately adverb In a discriminating manner; distinctly.

Discriminateness noun The state of being discriminated; distinctness.

Discriminating adjective Marking a difference; distinguishing. -- Dis*crim"i*na`ting*ly , adverb

And finds with keen discriminating sight,
Black's not so black; -- nor white so very white.

Canning.

Discrimination noun [ Latin discriminatio the contrasting of opposite thoughts.]
1. The act of discriminating, distinguishing, or noting and marking differences.

To make an anxious discrimination between the miracle absolute and providential.

Trench.

2. The state of being discriminated, distinguished, or set apart. Sir J. Reynolds.

3. (Railroads) The arbitrary imposition of unequal tariffs for substantially the same service.

A difference in rates, not based upon any corresponding difference in cost, constitutes a case of discrimination .

A. T. Hadley.

4. The quality of being discriminating; faculty of nicely distinguishing; acute discernment; as, to show great discrimination in the choice of means.

5. That which discriminates; mark of distinction.

Syn. -- Discernment; penetration; clearness; acuteness; judgment; distinction. See Discernment .

Discriminative adjective
1. Marking a difference; distinguishing; distinctive; characteristic.

That peculiar and discriminative form of life.

Johnson.

2. Observing distinctions; making differences; discriminating. " Discriminative censure." J. Foster. " Discriminative Providence." Dr. H. More.

Discriminatively adverb With discrimination or distinction. J. Foster.

Discriminator noun [ Late Latin ] One who discriminates.

Discriminatory adjective Discriminative.

Discriminous adjective [ Late Latin discriminosus , from Latin discrimen the dangerous, decisive moment. See Discriminate , adjective ] Hazardous; dangerous. [ Obsolete] Harvey.

Discrive transitive verb [ Old French descrivre . See Describe .] To describe. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Discrown transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Discrowned ; present participle & verbal noun Discrowning .] To deprive of a crown.

The end had crowned the work; it not unreasonably discrowned the workman.

Motley.

Discruciate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Discruciated ; present participle & verbal noun Discruciating .] [ Latin discruciatus , past participle of discruciare . See Cruciate .] To torture; to excruciate. [ Obsolete]

Discruciate a man in deep distress.

Herrick.

Discubitory adjective [ Latin discumbere , discubitum , to lie down, recline at table; dis- + cumbere (in comp.) to lie down.] Leaning; fitted for a reclining posture. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Disculpate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disculpated ; present participle & verbal noun Disculpating .] [ Late Latin disculpatus , past participle of disculpare to disculpate; dis- + Latin culpare to blame, culpa fault.] To free from blame or the imputation of a fault; to exculpate.

I almost fear you think I begged it, but I can disculpate myself.

Walpole.

Disculpation noun [ Confer French disculpation .] Exculpation. Burke.

Disculpatory adjective Tending to exculpate; exculpatory.

Discumbency noun [ From Latin discumbens , present participle of discumbere . See Discubitory .] The act of reclining at table according to the manner of the ancients at their meals. Sir T. Browne.

Discumber transitive verb [ Prefix dis- + cumber : confer Old French descombrer .] To free from that which cumbers or impedes; to disencumber. [ Archaic] Pope.

Discure transitive verb [ See Discover .] To discover; to reveal; to discoure. [ Obsolete]

I will, if please you it discure , assay
To ease you of that ill, so wisely as I may.

Spenser.

Discurrent adjective Not current or free to circulate; not in use. [ Obsolete] Sir E. Sandys.

Discursion noun [ Late Latin discursio a running different ways. See Discourse .] The act of discoursing or reasoning; range, as from thought to thought. Coleridge.

Discursist noun A discourser. [ Obsolete] Latin Addison.