covert
/'kʌvət/
Definition
Adjective:
- Secret or hidden; not openly practiced, engaged in, shown, or avowed: Refers to something concealed, done in a way to avoid notice, or not publicly acknowledged.
- (Archaic, of a wife) Being under the protection of her husband: An old-fashioned legal term describing a married woman's status.
Noun:
- A covering that serves to conceal or shelter something; a hiding place: Refers to physical cover like thick vegetation or a sheltered spot that provides concealment for animals or people.
- A flock of coots: A specific collective term for a group of the waterbird called a coot.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- The spy engaged in covert operations behind enemy lines.
- They exchanged covert glances during the meeting, hoping no one would notice.
- The government provided covert funding to the rebel group.
Noun:
- The rabbit darted into the covert of brambles for safety.
- Hunters waited near a known covert for game to appear.
- We saw a covert of coots on the lake this morning.
Advanced Usage
"Under covert of": Under the concealment or protection provided by something (e.g., darkness, foliage).
- The troops advanced under covert of night.
Legal/Historical Context: The adjective form relating to a "feme covert" (a married woman) is largely archaic but appears in historical legal texts, contrasting with "feme sole" (a single woman).
Variants and Related Words
Covertly (adverb): In a secret or hidden manner.
- The agent communicated covertly with her handlers.
Covertness (noun): The state or quality of being covert.
- The covertness of the mission was paramount to its success.
Cover (verb/noun): A more general word for concealing or protecting. "Covert" often implies a more deliberate, secretive, or sheltered type of covering.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Secret, clandestine, undercover, hidden, concealed, surreptitious, stealthy.
- Noun: Hide, hiding place, shelter, thicket, brush, screen.
Antonyms
- Adjective: Overt, open, public, blatant, undisguised.
Related Phrases
- Covert action: A secret action, often by a government agency, intended to influence events without revealing the sponsor's role.
- Covert channel: In computing, a secret communication method that transfers information in a way that violates a system's security policy.
Adjective
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(of a wife) being under the protection of her husband
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a woman covert
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secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed
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covert actions by the CIA
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covert funding for the rebels
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Noun
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a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something
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a screen of trees afforded privacy
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under cover of darkness
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the brush provided a covert for game
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the simplest concealment is to match perfectly the color of the background
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a flock of coots
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