discovert means not covert; not within the bonds of matrimony; unmarried; applied either to a woman who has never married or to a widow. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “discovert” is a great word
DISCOVERT — [Adjective] An archaic legal term describing a woman who is not under the cover or protection of a husband, being either unmarried, widowed, or divorced. From Old French descovert, past participle of descovrir ("to uncover"), from des- ("dis-") + covrir ("to cover"). Unlike feme covert, which denotes a married woman legally subsumed under a husband's authority, or spinster, which weaves in social judgment of age and occupation, discovert is a starkly procedural label for a state of legal exposure. It is the cold parchment of a widow's dower claim, the silent vacancy where a husband's signature should be on a deed, the unadorned ledger entry marking her as her own legal entity—a word that renders a social absence into a chilling matter of record.
adj
- Not covert; not within the bonds of matrimony; unmarried; applied either to a woman who has never married or to a widow.
noun
- An uncovered place or part.