Bewray

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈɹeɪ/

Definitions

1. To disclose or reveal something secret or hidden unintentionally
2. To show or betray information without intending to, exposing what was meant to stay concealed
3. To unintentionally make known a secret or private matter through speech or behavior

Etymology: "Bewray" is an old word that survives mainly in literary English, and its ancestors once meant something quite different from "reveal." The Proto-Germanic root behind it, *biwrōgijaną, meant "to speak about, tell on, or inform of," and the sense of accusing or betraying someone is preserved in its relatives: Dutch "bewroegen" still means "to blame" or "accuse," and Middle Low German "bewrōgen" meant "to accuse" and "to punish." The idea of revealing a secret came later, as telling tales on someone shaded into exposing what was hidden. English took the word in Middle English as "bewraien" and "bewreyen," descended from Old English "bewrēġan." Its Old High German cousin "biruogen" also meant "to disclose, reveal," so the notion of uncovering was present across the Germanic languages early on. "Bewray" is also a variant of "beray," and the two forms shared the same meaning for centuries. A related sense in German, "berügen," which means "to defraud," shows how the root could tilt toward deception as well as disclosure.

Synonyms: betray, reveal, disclose, expose, uncover

Antonyms: conceal, hide, suppress, safeguard, protect