discreet

 
Pronunciation: /dɪˈskriːt/

adjective (discreeter, discreetest)

  • careful and prudent in one’s speech or actions, especially in order to keep something confidential or to avoid embarrassment: we made some discreet inquiries
  • intentionally unobtrusive: a discreet cough

Derivatives

discreetly

adverb

discreetness

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French discret, from Latin discretus 'separate', past participle of discernere 'discern', the sense arising from late Latin discretio (see discretion). Compare with discrete

The words discrete and discreet are pronounced in the same way and share the same origin but they do not mean the same thing. Discrete means ‘separate’, as in a finite number of discrete categories, while discreet means ‘careful and circumspect’, as in you can rely on him to be discreet.