covert

adj

Etymology: From Middle English covert, from Old French covert, past participle of covrir (“to cover”) (corresponding to Latin coopertus); cognate to cover. Not closely related to overt, despite what the most common pronunciation would suggest.

1. Secret, surreptitious, concealed.

   “covert operations”

   “how covert matters may be best disclosed”

2. Hidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.

   “Within that wood there was a covert glade, Foreby a narrow foord, to them well knowne […]”

   “to plant a covert alley”

3. Under coverture.

   “feme covert”

   “[…] a separate use for a woman cannot be created unless she is covert, or unless in immediate contemplation of her marriage.”

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English covert, from Old French covert, past participle of covrir (“to cover”) (corresponding to Latin coopertus); cognate to cover. Not closely related to overt, despite what the most common pronunciation would suggest.

1. A covering.
2. A disguise.
3. A hiding place.
4. Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.
5. A feather that covers the bases of flight feathers.

   “When he felt the trappings being taken off him, so that he was in hunting order, Cully did make some movements as if to rouse. He raised his crest, his shoulder coverts and the soft feathers of his thighs.”