English
discreet
Discreet comes from Old French discret ‘different’, from Latin discrētus ‘separated’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krey-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’next step skipped: Latin discernō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscrētus‘separated’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400discret‘different’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500discrete
- Englishearliest quotation 1985discreet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate, divide’next step skipped: Latin discernō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscrētus‘separated’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400discret‘different’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500discrete
- Englishearliest quotation 1985discreet
Earliest quotation: 1985, Stevie Wonder, Part-Time Lover: “Just pass me by, don't even speak / Know…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’
certain, crime, criminal, secretary, secret, crisis, critic, critique, riddle, criterion, hypocrite, endocrine, discern, excrement, rime, incriminate, incrimination, ridder, excretion, certitude, criterium, recrimination, excrete, 51 more
Today it means
adj Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / discreet