découvert

Découvert is a French term that functions as both a past participle and an adjective, derived from the verb découvrir (to discover). As a participle, it describes something that has been found or brought to light. As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, meaning “discovered” or “uncovered.” The feminine form is découverte, and the plural forms are découverts (masculine) and découvertes (feminine).

Etymology and meaning: The word comes from the construction de- + couvert, reflecting the idea of making something that was covered or hidden become uncovered. It is the standard past participle of découvrir and shares its meaning with other languages that form the sense of uncovering or revealing something previously unknown.

Grammatical use: In compound tenses, the auxiliary is typically avoir, as in j’ai découvert (I have discovered). In passive or adjectival use, it can agree with the subject: le trésor a été découvert (the treasure was discovered). The feminine form for adjectives is découverte, as in une zone découverte? more commonly encountered as une découverte (a discovery), which is the related noun.

Noun use: In everyday French, découvert is also found as a noun in banking: un découvert refers to an overdraft or a negative balance on a bank account (découvert bancaire). A découvert or un découvert autorisé describes an allowed overdraft.

Related terms: The noun découverte means “discovery” or “finding,” while the verb is découvrir. The opposite of découvert in its adjectival sense would be caché or couvert, depending on context.

In summary, découvret serves as the past participle of découvrir and as an adjective meaning discovered or uncovered, with a separate banking-related noun sense as overdraft.