DEAR FANDOM

[cimorene]

I was just going to rant and call you names but then I thought I'd let the Oxford English dictionary speak for me.

• discreet
  
  /diskreet/
  
  • adjective (discreeter, discreetest) careful not to attract attention or give offence.
  
  — DERIVATIVES discreetly adverb.
  
  — USAGE The words discrete and discreet are often confused. Discrete means ‘separate’ (a discrete unit), while discreet means ‘careful and prudent’.
  
  — ORIGIN Old French discret, from Latin discretus ‘separate’.



• discrete
  
  /diskreet/
  
  • adjective individually separate and distinct.
  
  — DERIVATIVES discretely adverb discreteness noun.
  
  — ORIGIN Latin discretus ‘separate’: compare with DISCREET.

OKAY? OKAY.

Next person to use 'discrete' when they're talking about secrecy of love affairs gets deleted from the internet!

Comments

[klynie1.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the tip! I've made a copy of your comment and put it into my writing folder for future reference. One day I'll learn the difference, but it's nice to have your explanation at my fingertips until then. :)