Concealment

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈsiːlmənt/

Definitions

1. The act of hiding something or keeping it secret from view or knowledge
2. The action of intentionally hiding information or objects from being observed or discovered
3. The process of keeping something out of sight or preventing it from being known

Etymology: "Concealment" is a straightforward formation. It comes from Old French "concelement", meaning concealment or secrecy, which was built on the verb "concealer" (to hide). The English noun takes the verb "conceal" and adds the suffix "-ment", a common ending that turns verbs into nouns denoting an action, process, or result, as in "judgment" or "agreement". The verb itself reaches back to Latin "concelare", a compound of "com-" (an intensive, "altogether") and "celare" (to hide). Latin "celare" is also the source of "celestial"? No, that belongs to a different root; the link here is simply "celare" and its relatives in the sense of hiding. Because the suffix is so productive, the noun shows the same pattern as many English words: an action first, then the state of having done it. The word's core meaning has stayed remarkably steady since it was adopted, which is why it still reads as plainly as its parts.

Synonyms: hiding, secrecy, suppression, disguise, camouflage

Antonyms: revelation, disclosure, exposure, manifestation, unveiling