More careful about keeping secrets or avoiding drawing attention; more tactful and subtle than something or someone else.
From the comparative form of 'discreet,' which comes from Old French 'discret' and Latin 'discretus' (separated, distinct). The word evolved from its root meaning of being 'separated' or 'distinct' to mean careful and prudent in behavior.
Here's something cool: 'discreet' and 'discrete' come from the same Latin root but split into two different words—one means 'tactful' and one means 'separate/distinct.' English speakers often mix them up, but medieval scholars actually kept the meaning distinct on purpose!
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