Revelations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of revealing important truths or insights
2. The act of disclosing significant information that enhances understanding
3. The act of making previously hidden knowledge known to others

Etymology: "Revelations" is simply the plural of "revelation," so its history is that of the singular noun. The root meaning is literal and physical: Latin "revelare" combined "re," meaning "again" or "back," with "velare," meaning "to cover," so the core idea is removing a covering. The word passed through Old French "revelacion" into Middle English as "revelacioun," and it carried that sense of uncovering from the start. The plural form is the one most readers meet in a particular context. Its singular carries the broader sense of any disclosure, but the plural "revelations" has come to mean a series of striking discoveries, the kind of unveiling that shifts how someone understands a subject. The sense of uncovering something hidden stays intact through every step of the journey from Latin to English.

Synonyms: disclosures, unveilings, discoveries, expositions, manifestations

Antonyms: concealments, secrets, cover-ups, mysteries, obfuscations