Quirks of English

--for those who speak English as their second language or who just want to improve their writing

(Text-only version of Quirks of English)

Discrete or Discreet?

Like discretion (which means the showing of good judgment), both discrete and discreet come from the Latin word discretus, the past participle of discernere ("to separate"). But in spite of their common etymology, their meanings are quite discrete.

As defined in Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary--Tenth Edition, discrete means separate and distinct; consisting of distinct or unconnected elements; noncontinuous; having a finite or countably infinite number of values.

Discreet, on the other hand, means showing discernment or good judgment in conduct, or especially, in speech; prudent; unpretentious, modest; unobtrusive, unnoticeable.

For example

• Power was applied slowly, in discrete steps.
• Tom motioned discreetly to his branch chief to join the discussion.

Test yourself.

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Last updated: 1/20/2009