Concealed

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kənˈsiːld/

Definitions

1. Something that is made to be less visible or kept from others' awareness can be described as obscured or hidden from plain sight
2. An entity that is intentionally hidden from observation or awareness exists in a state marked by secrecy or obscurity
3. Kept out of sight or prevented from being seen or detected

Etymology: "Concealed" is the past participle of "conceal," so its story is really the story of the verb. The verb came into Middle English as "concelen," borrowed from Old French "conceler," which meant "to hide" or "to disguise." Behind the French lies Latin "concēlāre," built from the intensifying prefix "con-" and "celāre," "to hide." That Latin root also gave English "celar," a word for a secret room or hiding place, and "cell," which once referred to a small hidden chamber before it came to mean a monk's room or a unit of a living body. The Latin verb was itself strengthened by its prefix: "celāre" meant simply "to hide," while "concēlāre" carried the sense of hiding something thoroughly or with care. English kept that emphasis, so "concealed" describes something placed out of sight on purpose, not merely something that happens to be unseen.

Synonyms: hidden, veiled, disguised

Antonyms: revealed, exposed