English
conceal
Conceal comes from Old French conceler ‘hide, disguise’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱel-root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcēlō‘carefully disguise’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conceler‘hide, disguise’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500concelen
- Englishearliest quotation 1910conceal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱel-root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcēlō‘carefully disguise’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conceler‘hide, disguise’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500concelen
- Englishearliest quotation 1910conceal
Earliest quotation: 1910, Emerson Hough, Indianapolis: “Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-
hell, color, hole, cell, hall, holder, hull, helmet, ceiling, hollow, halt, helm, holden, uphold, occult, clandestine, sari, cilia, sala, recline, declination, holing, declension, haugh, tricolour, seel, hele, halberd, 37 more
Today it means
verb To hide something from view or from public knowledge, to try to keep something secret.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- / conceal