découvr

Découvr is not a standalone word in standard French; it is the stem used by the verb découvrir, which means to discover or to uncover. The infinitive is découvrir, and it belongs to the third group of French verbs. The stem appears in many conjugated forms, especially those built from the present or imperfect stems, with the common root découv-.

Etymology and meaning: The verb découvrir originates from Old French desconvirer or descouvir, formed with the prefix des- (undo, reversal) attached to couvrir (to cover). The sense evolved from uncovering something that was hidden or covered to more figurative meanings such as uncovering information, facts, or discoveries. The modern spelling and pronunciation reflect historical phonological changes in French.

Conjugation and usage: Découvrir is irregular in several tenses. In the present indicative, the forms are je découvre, tu découvres, il découvre, nous découvrons, vous découvrez, ils découvrent. The imperfect is je découvrais, tu découvrais, il découvrait, nous découvrions, vous découvriez, ils découvraient. The past historic is découvris, découvris, découvrit, découvîmes, découvîtes, découvrirent. The future and conditional use the whole infinitive stem, as in je découvrirai and je découvrirais. The past participle is découvert, and the present participle is découvrant.

Derived forms and usage: The noun la découverte denotes the act or result of discovering. Related nouns include le découvert (the thing discovered, or a discovering person in some contexts) and le découvrueur, an occasional variant meaning a discoverer. In everyday language, découvrir commonly appears in contexts of finding new information, objects, places, or ideas, and is used both literally and metaphorically, such as discovering a solution or discovering a secret.

Examples: Elle découvre un nouveau musée. Ils découvriront des preuves. La découverte a surpris les chercheurs.