forhele

Etymology

From Middle English forhelen, from Old English forhelan (“to cover up, conceal”), from Proto-Germanic *frahelaną (“to conceal, hide”), equivalent to for- + hele. Cognate with Dutch verhelen (“to conceal”), German verhehlen (“to hide, conceal”).

Why this word is great

FORHELE — [Verb] To conceal or hide something, often with an implication of secrecy or deliberate obscurity. From Middle English forhelen, from Old English forhelan ("to cover up, conceal"), from Proto-Germanic *frahelaną ("to conceal, hide"), composed of for- (intensive prefix) + helan ("to hide"). Cognate with Dutch verhelen ("to conceal") and German verhehlen ("to hide, conceal"). Unlike "disclose" (which flings truth into the light) or "uncloak" (which strips away disguise), forhele is the act of pressing a letter into a drawer, of smoothing over disturbed earth where something lies buried, of a face turning deliberately blank at a question too sharp—the quiet, practiced art of making the world less knowable.

verb

To conceal; hide.