Uncoverers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or groups that reveal or expose something hidden or secret
2. People who discover or bring to light information previously obscured or unknown
3. Those who remove coverings to expose what lies beneath, often related to findings in research or investigative efforts

Etymology: "Uncoverers" is the plural of "uncoverer", which is simply "uncover" with the suffix "-er" attached. The base verb is built from the prefix "un-", which reverses an action, and "cover", which comes into English from Old French "covrir" and ultimately from Latin "cooperire", meaning to cover completely. So an uncoverer is, literally, one who reverses a covering. The suffix does most of the work here. "-er" arrived in English through two routes: an Old English form "-ere" that marked a person doing something, and the Latin "-arius", which passed through Old French "-ier" and reached Middle English as "-er". Both strands converged on the same job, forming agent nouns from verbs. Because the suffix is so productive, it could be attached to a verb like "uncover" at any time, which is why the word is a transparent, modern-feeling formation rather than a fixed inheritance.

Synonyms: discoverers, revealers, exposers

Antonyms: concealers, hiders