Nonoccult

Nonoccult is an English adjective meaning not occult or not hidden. It is formed from the prefix non- plus occult, which derives from the Latin occultus “hidden,” from occultare to hide. In contemporary usage, nonoccult is uncommon outside specialized contexts, and writers often substitute clearer terms such as overt, visible, or unhidden.

In astronomy, nonoccult describes an object or event that is not obscured by another body during a given time. A nonoccult star remains visible when the Moon or a planet would otherwise pass in front of it; ephemerides may label time windows as occulted or nonoccult to indicate whether an occultation will occur. The term helps distinguish observational conditions where a body’s passage in front of another is or is not expected.

In medicine and biology, occult commonly refers to signs that are hidden from plain view, such as occult blood in stool or urine. The compound nonoccult is rarely used in modern clinical language; when bleeding or other signs are visible, clinicians typically describe overt or gross findings rather than nonoccult. If used, nonoccult would contrast with occult findings to indicate those that are readily detectable without special testing.

Overall, nonoccult is a rare, specialist term that functions as the opposite of occult. In most everyday or professional writing, clearer alternatives like overt, visible, or nonhidden are preferred. See also occult, occultation, overt, visible.