Overt

How to spell overt

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce overt

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overt mean?

1. adjectiveDone or shown openly and plainly, without any attempt to conceal it.

Overt in a sentence

• The manager made no overt attempt to hide her disapproval during the meeting.

• The report distinguished between overt acts of discrimination and subtler forms of bias.

Where does overt come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'overt', meaning 'open', which is the past participle of the verb 'ovrir', 'to open' (the modern French spelling is 'ouvert'). That French verb descended from the Latin 'aperire', meaning 'to open' or 'to uncover', the same root that gives us 'aperture' for an opening and 'aperitif' for a drink that 'opens' the appetite. The original sense in English was strictly literal, describing something physically open or uncovered, before it settled into its modern meaning of being done plainly and in the open rather than concealed. It now stands as the natural opposite of 'covert', and the two are often paired in speech and writing. The spelling trap is the silent-feeling ending: it is just 'overt', with a single 't' and no 'e' before the 't', and it sounds reassuringly like the everyday word 'over' with a 't' tacked on.

How the word is built

• overt (whole word from Old French 'overt', past participle of 'ovrir' to open); no separable English prefix or suffix