Third person singular present tense of discover; finds something previously unknown or unrecognized. Reveals or uncovers through investigation or exploration.
From Old French 'descovrir', from Latin 'dis-' (opposite) + 'cooperire' (to cover completely). Originally meant to remove a covering, which evolved to mean revealing something hidden or unknown.
The word literally means to 'uncover' something, which is why we don't 'discover' things that are already well-known - discovery implies revealing something that was hidden or unknown. Columbus didn't really 'discover' America since millions already lived there.
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