Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - discover

 verb  (~ed; ~ing)  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French descoverir, descovrir, from Late Latin discooperire, from Latin dis- + cooperire to cover — more at cover  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to make known or visible ; expose  b. archaic display  2.  a. to obtain sight or knowledge of for the first time ; find ~ the solution  b. find out ~ed he was out of gas  intransitive verb to make a ~y  • ~able adjective  • ~er noun Synonyms:  ~, ascertain, determine, unearth, learn mean to find out what one did not previously know. ~ may apply to something requiring exploration or investigation or to a chance encounter ~ed the source of the river. ascertain implies effort to find the facts or the truth proceeding from awareness of ignorance or uncertainty attempts to ascertain the population of the region. determine emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely unable to determine the origin of the word. unearth implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden unearth old records. learn may imply acquiring knowledge with little effort or conscious intention (as by simply being told) or it may imply study and practice I learned her name only today learning Greek.