Covert

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)t
• IPA: /ˈkoÊŠ.vÉšt/, /ˈkÊŒvÉšt/

Origin

From Old French covert, past participle of covrir ("to cover") (corresponding to Latin coopertus); cognate to cover.

Full definition of covert

Adjective

1. (now rare) Hidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.
• 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.5:Within that wood there was a covert glade,
  Foreby a narrow foord, to them well knowne ...
• Francis Bacon (1561-1626)to plant a covert alley
2. (figuratively) Secret, surreptitious, concealed.
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)how covert matters may be best disclosed
• John Milton (1608-1674)whether of open war or covert guile
• 2013-07-26, Leo Hickman, How algorithms rule the world, The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives....who, if anyone, is policing their use? Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its covert dragnet of international telecommunications.

Synonyms

• feme covert

Antonyms

• overt

Derived terms

• covert stuttering

Related terms

• cover

Noun

1. Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.
2. A feather that covers others

Anagrams

• vector