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Webster 1913 Edition


Covert

Cov′ert

(k?v′?rt)
,
Adj.
[OF.
covert
, F.
couvert
, p. p. of
couvrir
. See
Cover
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Covered over; private; hid; secret; disguised.
How
covert
matters may be best disclosed.
Shakespeare
Whether of open war or
covert
guile.
Milton
2.
Sheltered; not open or exposed; retired; protected;
as, a
covert
nook
.
Wordsworth.
Of either side the green, to plant a
covert
alley.
Bacon.
3.
(Law)
Under cover, authority or protection;
as, a
feme covert
, a married woman who is considered as being under the protection and control of her husband
.
Syn. – Hidden; secret; private; covered; disguised; insidious; concealed. See
Hidden
.

Cov′ert

,
Noun.
[OF. See
Covert
,
Adj.
]
1.
A place that covers and protects; a shelter; a defense.
A tabernacle . . . for a
covert
from storm.
Is. iv. 6.
The highwayman has darted from his
covered
by the wayside.
Prescott.
2.
[Cf. F.
couverte
.]
(Zool.)
One of the special feathers covering the bases of the quills of the wings and tail of a bird. See Illust. of
Bird
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Covert

COVERT

,
Adj.
1.
Covered; hid; private; secret; concealed.
Whether of open war, or covert guile.
2.
Disguised; insidious.
3.
Sheltered; not open or exposed; as a covert alley, or place.
4.
Under cover, authority or protection; as a feme-covert, a married woman who is considered as being under the influence and protection of her husband.

COVERT

,
Noun.
1.
A covering, or covering place; a place which covers and shelters; a shelter; a defense.
A tabernacle--for a covert from storm and rain. Isaiah 4.
I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Psalm 111.
2.
A thicket; a shady place, or a hiding place. 1 Samuel 25. Job 38.

Definition 2024


covert

covert

English

Adjective

covert (comparative more covert, superlative most covert)

  1. (now rare) Hidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.
  2. (figuratively) Secret, surreptitious, concealed.
    • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
      how covert matters may be best disclosed
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      whether of open war or covert guile
    • 2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26:
      The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. [] who, if anyone, is policing their use[?] Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its covert dragnet of international telecommunications.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

covert (plural coverts)

  1. A covering.
  2. A disguise.
  3. A hiding place.
  4. Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.
  5. (ornithology) A feather that covers the bases of flight feathers.

Translations

Anagrams


German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkavɐt/

Verb

covert

  1. Third-person singular present of covern.
  2. Second-person plural present of covern.
  3. Second-person plural subjunctive I of covern.
  4. Imperative plural of covern.

Old French

Alternative forms

Verb

covert

  1. past participle of covrir