Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “detect” come from?

Detect comes from Latin detectus, past participle of detegere, meaning to uncover, from de- and tegere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)teg-, meaning to cover.

detect (English): to discover or find by careful search,...

Definitions

  1. to discover or find by careful search,...

Ancestry of “detect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latindetectusuncovered, revealed, disclosed
2Latindē-—
3Latindē—
4Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
5Latinposteablative singular of postis
6Proto-Italicposti—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “detect”

  • detector
  • detectable
  • undetectable
  • photodetector
  • detectability
  • multidetector
  • detectible
  • detectably
  • nondetectable
  • undetectably
  • autodetect
  • undetectability
  • indetectable
  • detecter
  • detectorist
  • subdetector
  • redetect
  • immunodetectable
  • detectibly
  • detecteth
  • immunodetect
  • detectograph
  • cryodetector
  • metal detector
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →