discovery

Noun

discovery (countable and uncountable, plural discoveries)

1. Something discovered.
   • This latest discovery should eventually lead to much better treatments for disease.
   • Indeed, this discovery of meaning in symbols may be the most astounding intellectual feat that any human being ever performs—and most humans perform it before they are seven years old!1972, Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 25
2. (uncountable) The discovering of new things.
   • The purpose of the voyage was discovery.
   • Automatic discovery of RSS feeds by a Web browser.
3. (archaic, countable) An act of uncovering or revealing something; a revelation.
   • Don Huberto actually fell in love with his kinswoman, and had presumption enough to declare his passion […] The lady being a woman of discretion, instead of making a discovery, which might have been attended with melancholy consequences, reprimanded her relation with gentleness […]1822, Alain René Le Sage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane
4. (uncountable) A pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered.
   • The prosecution moved to suppress certain items turned up during discovery.
5. (uncountable) Materials revealed to the opposing party during the pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered.
   • The defense argued that the plaintiff's discovery was inadequate.
6. A discovered attack.
   • 1700: "If I play f4, he can check me with ...Qd4, but then he has to move his Queen because he can easily lose it to a Bishop discovery on b5. He could also check me on c5 when his Queen might be safer. I could just move out of the way, though, and continue my attack."1999, Jeremy Silman, The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions Into Chess Mastery, 2nd edition, Los Angeles, C.A.: Siles Press, →ISBN, page 189