Conceal

How to spell conceal

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce conceal

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does conceal mean?

1. verbTo keep something hidden or prevent it from being seen or known.

Conceal in a sentence

• He tried to conceal the surprise gift behind the sofa.

• The contract forbade her to conceal any relevant financial details.

Where does conceal come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb traces back to the Latin concelare, meaning 'to hide thoroughly', formed from the intensifying prefix con- and the verb celare, which simply meant 'to hide' or 'to keep secret'. That celare root also lies behind words like 'cellar', a place where things are stored out of sight, and the noun 'cell', a small enclosed room. English took the word in during the 1300s by way of Old French conceler, keeping the meaning of putting something out of view. The spelling trap sits in the ending: it is -ceal, echoing the Latin celare with a soft c, even though it sounds exactly like the unrelated word 'seal'. Remembering the link to 'cellar' and 'cell', all spelled with a c, helps fix that opening sound.

How the word is built

• con- (intensive, fully)
• ceal (from Latin celare: to hide)