Discrete

How to spell discrete

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce discrete

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does discrete mean?

1. adjectiveIndividually separate and distinct; consisting of distinct or unconnected parts.

Discrete in a sentence

• Break the project into discrete tasks.

• Each discrete unit can be tested independently.

• The lecture covered three discrete topics.

• These are discrete events, not connected.

• Music can be analysed in discrete frequencies.

Where does discrete come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin discretus, the past participle of discernere, which meant 'to separate' or 'to set apart'. That verb was built from dis-, meaning 'apart', and cernere, meaning 'to sift, separate, or distinguish', so the literal sense was something that had been sifted out and kept distinct. English took it in during the late 1300s, originally sharing a single spelling with its twin 'discreet', since both descend from the very same Latin participle. Over time the two split apart in meaning and in form: 'discrete' settled into the sense of individually separate, while 'discreet' came to mean tactful or careful. The trap is precisely that shared ancestry; remember that 'discrete' keeps its two 'e's separated by the 't', mirroring its meaning of separate parts.

How the word is built

• dis- (apart)
• cret (separate)

Words that sound like discrete

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• discreet: Careful and tactful in what one says or does, so as to avoid drawing attention or causing embarrassment.