discovery

[ dih-skuhv-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural dis·cov·er·ies.

1. the act or process of seeing, finding, or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown, or an instance of this:

   The university is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields.

   Shortly after the discovery of the tomb, many people associated with the expedition died.

2. something found, found out, noticed, or realized:

   In 2009, archaeologists in Rome unearthed a startling discovery: the remains of an elaborate banquet hall built during the reign of Nero.

3. Law. the compulsory exchange or disclosure of information, evidence, documents, etc., in preparation for a lawsuit or trial:

   The plaintiff filed a motion to compel discovery, but the defendants argued that some of the information was exempt.

4. none Discovery. U.S. Aerospace. the third space shuttle to orbit and return to earth.

discovery

/ dɪˈskʌvərɪ /

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of discovering
2. a person, place, or thing that has been discovered
3. law the compulsory disclosure by a party to an action of relevant documents in his possession

Other Words From

• non·dis·cov·er·y noun plural nondiscoveries
• pre·dis·cov·er·y noun plural prediscoveries
• re·dis·cov·er·y noun plural rediscoveries
• self-dis·cov·er·y noun plural selfdiscoveries

Word History and Origins

Origin of discovery¹

First recorded in 1545–55; discover + -y ³

Example Sentences

“I would encourage all young scientists to press ahead with their ideas. You never know when you might make the next big discovery.”

From BBC

We were doing archeological discovery in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in northern Colombia.

From Salon

This time the issue was much simpler — as the authors themselves wrote, “the discovery emphasizes that terrestrial biota can rapidly colonize extraterrestrial specimens even given contamination control precautions.”

From Salon

This is despite the discovery of evidence that he tried to conceal more than £1.7m of illegal sales.

From BBC

Hamas claimed that communication with the woman’s captors had recently been restored after several weeks, leading to the discovery of her death.

From BBC

Related Words

• analysis
• detection
• diagnosis
• disclosure
• encounter
• exploration
• introduction
• revelation
• sighting