Discovery Meaning: Examples and Usage

Meaning 1：finding something new (discovery)

discovery 🔊

/dɪˈskʌvəri/

The act of finding or learning something new for the first time.

Child pointing at X on treasure map discovery scene

finding something new 🔊

➕

/ˈfaɪndɪŋ ˈsʌmθɪŋ nuː/

The act or process of finding or learning something that was previously unknown or hidden.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

dis- (apart/un) + cover (to cover) + -y (noun suffix): literally 'uncovering'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'dis-cover-y': remove the cover to see what's hidden. Picture pulling a cloth off a treasure chest.

📖 Example

The scientist's discovery of a new material could make our phones much cheaper. 🔊 The scientist's discovery of a new material could make our phones much cheaper.

🔗 Collocations

make a discovery – to find something new for the first time

scientific discovery – a discovery made through systematic research

discovery of – the act of finding a specific thing

🔄 Synonyms

finding (n.) – something that is discovered, especially by chance

revelation (n.) – a surprising and previously unknown fact that is revealed

breakthrough (n.) – an important discovery that changes the way things are done

🚫 Antonyms

loss (n.) – the state of no longer having something that was known or possessed

concealment (n.) – the act of hiding something so that it is not found

ignorance (n.) – lack of knowledge or awareness about something

🌱 Derivatives

discover (v.) – to find or learn something for the first time

discoverer (n.) – a person who makes a discovery

undiscovered (adj.) – not yet discovered; unknown

📖 Cultural Story

From Latin 'discooperire' (dis- 'un-' + cooperire 'to cover'). Originally meant 'uncover' in the 14th century, shifting to modern 'find new knowledge' during the Age of Exploration.