Reveal

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈviːl/

Definitions

1. to make something known that was previously hidden or secret
2. to make something visible or known that was once hidden or not apparent
3. To uncover information or details that were not previously apparent or disclosed

Etymology: The verb "reveal" is, at its root, an act of taking off a covering. Its Latin ancestor, "revēlāre," combines "re-," meaning "back" or "again," with "vēlāre," "to cover." The base word "vēlum" meant a cloth, curtain, or awning, and it is the same stem that gave English "veil," "unveil," and "voile." So the word has always been about lifting a cloth away from something hidden, which is why it sits so comfortably next to its own cousins. The path into English ran through Old French "reveler," which passed into Middle English as "revēlen." The sense of physically pulling back a covering gradually gave way to the figurative sense of making something known that had been hidden. The same pattern of stripping away a cover appears in other words built on the idea of uncovering, such as "unmask" and "uncloak," which work by the same logic.

Synonyms: uncover, disclose, expose, show, divulge

Antonyms: conceal, hide, cover, suppress, mask