covert

[ adjective koh-vert, kuhv-ert; noun kuhv-ert, koh-vert ]

adjective

1. concealed or disguised; secret: covert behavior.

   covert intelligence operations;

   covert behavior.

   Synonyms: furtive, surreptitious, clandestine

2. covered; sheltered.
3. Law. (of a wife) under the protection of one's husband.

noun

1. a covering; cover.
2. a shelter or hiding place.
3. concealment or disguise.
4. Hunting. a thicket giving shelter to wild animals or game.
5. Also called tectrix. Ornithology. one of the small feathers that cover the bases of the large feathers of the wings and tail.
6. covert cloth.

covert

/ ˈkʌvət /

adjective

1. concealed or secret

   covert jealousy

2. law Compare feme covert discovert

noun

1. a shelter or disguise
2. a thicket or woodland providing shelter for game
3. short for covert cloth
4. ornithol any of the small feathers on the wings and tail of a bird that surround the bases of the larger feathers
5. a flock of coots

Pronunciation Note

Covert, related to cover, has historically been pronounced [kuhv, -ert], with [uh], the same stressed vowel found in cover. This [uh] is the traditional and unchallenged vowel in many other English words spelled with stressed o followed by v, voiced th, or a nasal in the same syllable, words of high frequency like love and above, mother and other, some and honey. The adjective covert, however, by analogy with overt [oh-, vurt, oh, -vert], its semantic opposite, has developed the pronunciation [koh, -vert], perhaps because of the frequent coupling of the two terms in the news media. This is now the more common pronunciation for the adjective in American English, though not in British English, which retains the historical pronunciation. For the noun senses, less likely to appear in the news or to be contrasted with overt and its [oh] sound, the historical [kuhv, -ert] remains the more frequent pronunciation.

Derived Forms

• ˈcovertly, adverb
• ˈcovertness, noun

Other Words From

• co·vert·ly adverb
• co·vert·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of covert¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin coopertus, past participle of cooperīre “to cover completely”; cover

Word History and Origins

Origin of covert¹

C14: from Old French: covered, from covrir to cover

Example Sentences

Uganda's police accused the suspects of being "engaged in covert activities that are suspected to be subversive, drawing the attention of Kenyan security forces".

From BBC

Normal words such as person, nice and even smart meter all have covert, sinister meanings, the cult leader tells his followers.

From BBC

During covert filming, smugglers revealed to us that they store boats in multiple secret warehouses - as they play cat-and-mouse games with German police.

From BBC

The latest arrests come amid stepped up overt and covert activity between Israel and Iran, including intelligence and sabotage operations in each other's countries.

From BBC

For years, the responsible nations of the world have tried myriad methods to thwart this doomsday scenario with sanctions, negotiated agreements and covert sabotage operations.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hidden
• surreptitious
• undercover