Blast From the Past: What is the difference between "discreet" and "discrete"?

[chomiji]

This week, in Blast from the Past, we're covering two very close cousins, linguistically speaking. Not only do they sound alike - that is, they're homophones - but they come from the same root. kay_brooke covered this topic with us a couple of years ago, but let's take another look.

We'll be helped out by the members of the Ouran High School Host Club.

Both discreet and discrete come from the Latin word discretus, meaning "separate" (Oxford Dictionaries). Discreet took a little detour through Old French, and its meaning has drifted from its root. It means to be careful in your speech or actions, often with the implication that you're trying not to offend someone:

"I can't believe you just blurted that out in front of Haruhi," said Kyoya, reproachfully. "I wish you'd learn to be a little more discreet, Tamaki."

Discrete, on the other hand, stays close to its roots: it means distinct or separate:

Kyoya was glad that no one in the club seemed to want him to host get-togethers at his house. He liked his family life and his school life to be discrete.

As kay_brooke noted, discrete is also a mathematical term. It refers to "mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete rather than continuous" (Wikipedia):

Some of the classes at Lobelia Girls' Academy were even tougher than those offered at Ouran. It was rumored that a few of the seniors were even studying astrophysics and discrete mathematics.

kay_brooke also offered an excellent mnemonic for these very similar words by pointing out that in discrete, the two e's are separated by the t. This can help you recall that discrete means separate or discontinuous.

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