covert
UK /ˈkəʊvɜːt/ · US /ˈkoʊvɚt/ adjective, noun, proper noun
Forms coverts
- adjective (figuratively) Secret, surreptitious, concealed. “covert operations”
- adjective (now rare) Hidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.
- adjective (law, historical) Under coverture. “feme covert”
- noun A covering.
- noun A disguise.
- noun A hiding place.
- noun Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.
- noun (ornithology) A feather that covers the bases of flight feathers.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Osborne County, Kansas.
- proper noun A township in Van Buren County, Michigan.
- proper noun A town and hamlet therein, in Seneca County, New York.
Synonyms
covert baron abstruse behind the scenes catlike backroom backstairs stealth clandestine cloak-and-dagger concealed confidential deep-laid dern disguised furtive huggermugger hush-hush inconspicuous incognito low profile screen cover concealment
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English covert, from Old French covert, past participle of covrir (“to cover”) (corresponding to Latin coopertus); cognate to cover. Not closely related to overt, despite what the most common pronunciation would suggest.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Covered over; private; hid; secret; disguised.
- adjective Sheltered; not open or exposed; retired; protected; as, a covert nook. Wordsworth.
- noun A place that covers and protects; a shelter; a defense.
- noun One of the special feathers covering the bases of the quills of the wings and tail of a bird. See Illust. of Bird.
Etymology [OF. covert, F. couvert, p. p. of couvrir. See Cover, v. t.]
Etymology [OF. See Covert, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “covert”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details