Meanings
plural discoverers
- One who discovers: a person who has discovered something.
But this was subterfuge to defeat the curiosity of a chance discoverer.
1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 303 more examples
[W]hen the flowꝛes there haue been ſufficiently wꝛought, they [bees] ſend abꝛoade their diſcouerers to finde out moꝛe foode.
1577, Conradus Heresbachius [i.e., Konrad Heresbach], translated by Barnabe Googe, “The fourth Booke, entreatyng of Poultry, Foule, Fishe, and Bees”, in Foure Bookes of Husbandry, […], London: […] Richard Watkins, folio 175, versoThe ſpecies of elaſtic fluid, which its great diſcoverer, Dr. Prieſtley, denominated the dephlogiſticated nitrous air, and others have ſince called gazeous oxyd of azot, is in general not unknown to chemiſts, though they are unacquainted with its compoſition, its moſt extraordinary effects, and probably with its perfect preparation.
1799, Robert John Thornton, chapter XXIII, in The Philosophy of Medicine: Or, Medical Extracts on the Nature of Health and Disease, Including the Laws of the Animal Œconomy, and the Doctrines of Pneumatic Medicine, 4th edition, volume 1, page 450[M]any of the most successful discoverers of metallic wealth have been entirely ignorant of the methods by which a great mine should be opened, developed, and worked.
1898, Charles A. Bramble, “Prospecting”, in The A B C of Mining[:] A Handbook for Prospectors […] , Chicago; New York: Rand, McNally & Company, page 7
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who is the first to observe something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frenchdescouvreur
- Middle Englishdiscoverour
- Englishdiscoverer
From Middle English discoverour, dyscowerer, partly from Middle French descouvreur and partly equivalent to discover + -er.
More words from Middle English, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek εὑρετής, εὑρέτις
- εὑρετής (heuretḗs)one who discovers
- εὑρέτις (heurétis)one who discovers
Arabic مُكْتَشِف
- مُكْتَشِف (muktašif)one who discovers
Catalan descobridor
- descobridorone who discovers
Danish opdager
- opdagerone who discovers
Dutch ontdekker
- ontdekkerone who discovers
Finnish löytäjä
- löytäjäone who discovers
French découvreur
- découvreurone who discovers
German Entdecker
- Entdeckerone who discovers
Hungarian felfedező, lelő
- felfedezőone who discovers
- lelőone who discovers
Italian scopritore, scopritrice
- scopritoreone who discovers
- scopritriceone who discovers
Latin repertor
- repertorone who discovers
Norwegian Bokmål oppdager
- oppdagerone who discovers
Persian کاشف
- کاشف (kâšef)one who discovers
Polish odkrywca, odkrywczyni
- odkrywcaone who discovers
- odkrywczynione who discovers
Portuguese descobridor
- descobridorone who discovers
Romanian descoperitor
- descoperitorone who discovers
Russian открыва́тель
- открыва́тель (otkryvátelʹ)one who discovers
Spanish descubridor
- descubridorone who discovers
Swedish upptäckare
- upptäckareone who discovers
Turkish kaşif
- kaşifone who discovers
Ukrainian відкрива́ч
- відкрива́ч (vidkryváč)one who discovers
Urdu کاشف
- کاشف (kāśif)one who discovers
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
discoverer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discoverer
“discoverer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discoverer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “discoverer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/discoverer.
Source: discoverer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.