Display

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /dɪsˈpleɪ/

Definitions

1. To show or exhibit something in a way that makes it visible or noticeable to others
2. To present or arrange objects or information for public viewing or consideration
3. To demonstrate or reveal a particular quality, behavior, or characteristic outwardly

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "display" is that it is a close relative of "deploy", and the two were once the same word. Both descend from a Medieval Latin verb "displicare", meaning "to unfold", built from Latin "dis-" ("apart") and "plicare" ("to fold"). The core idea is simply opening something that was folded up, so that its contents can be seen. The word reached English through Anglo-Norman "despleier" and Old French "despleier" and "desploiier", and its early English form was "displayen". That history explains the sense of spreading something out for view, which is still at the heart of the modern meaning, whether of goods in a shop window or of information on a screen. Its doublet "deploy" took a different path. It kept the sense of unfolding and spreading out, and it went on to take on military meanings of arranging troops into battle lines, which is why the two words now look and feel quite different.

Synonyms: exhibit, showcase, presentation, demonstration, reveal

Antonyms: conceal, hide, suppress, cover, mask