discret (French)

Where does "discret" come from?

The French adjective 'discret' is inherited from Old French 'discret'[1], which was borrowed from Latin 'discretus'[1][2], meaning 'separate'[2]. The Latin source originates as the perfect passive participle of 'discerno'[3], formed from 'dis-' meaning 'asunder, in pieces, apart, in two' combined with 'cerno' meaning 'see, discern'[4].

Full etymology tree

• discret (French), 'discreet'
  • inherited discret (Old French), 'different (not identical)'
    • borrowed discretus (Latin), 'separated'
      • derived discerno (Latin), 'to separate, set apart, divide, part'
        • prefix dis- (Latin), 'asunder, apart, in two'
        • affix cerno (Latin), 'to distinguish, divide, separate, sift'

Ancestors

• discret (Old French)
• discretus (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• discrètement (French)

Related words

• subtil (French)

Sources

1. discret (French) - Wiktionary
2. discret (Old French) - Wiktionary
3. discretus (Latin) - Wiktionary
4. discerno (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris