divulge

Word of the Day
: August 20, 2026divulge
playWhat It Means
To divulge something, especially secret or private information, is to make it known.
// Rather than divulge the baby name we’ve chosen, we’re waiting till the little one arrives to make introductions.
divulge in Context
“Sun Ra’s agent had called, he said. ... The Arkestra was heading out on tour soon, to Europe, and Sonny wanted the three of us to join him. ... After we’d calmed down, Don divulged the hitch: the tour would take us away for the school year’s last weeks, meaning we would miss exams and also all the end-of-college parties.” — Michael Lowenthal, Place Envy: Essays in Search of Orientation, 2026
Did You Know?
Information divulged is typically secret, or known only to insiders, and it isn’t usually shouted from the rooftops. But when divulge first entered English in the 15th century, it did so as a synonym of proclaim: divulging involved declaring or announcing something to the public, a duty of town criers from Lizard Point to Dunnet Head. The word’s source is the Latin verb vulgare, “to make known,” which traces ultimately back to the Latin noun vulgus, meaning “common people” or “mob.” While nowadays divulge can presumably involve blabbing to the rabble, the word usually implies a more careful and considered approach to sharing sensitive information.
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Facts Only

* The word of the day is divulge.
* To divulge something means to make it known, especially secret or private information.
* A quoted example involves Don divulging that a tour would result in missing exams and end-of-college parties.
* The word's source is the Latin verb vulgare, meaning "to make known," which traces back to the Latin noun vulgus, meaning "common people" or "mob."
* Historically, divulge involved declaring or announcing something to the public, like town criers did in the 15th century.

Executive Summary

The word "divulge" means to make something known, particularly secret or private information. In the context provided, it is used to illustrate a scenario where information is withheld until a specific time. For instance, one example shows that instead of immediately revealing a chosen baby name, the decision was postponed until the arrival of the child for introductions. A historical note indicates that while modern use can imply casual sharing, the word originally meant to proclaim, and its root traces back to the Latin verb "vulgare," meaning "to make known." The text suggests that the term typically implies a careful approach when sharing sensitive information, contrasting with a casual notion of "blabbing."

Full Take

The juxtaposition of the modern understanding of divulging as potentially casual sharing versus its historical and implied contemporary meaning of careful disclosure reveals a tension between ease of communication and the weight of shared knowledge. The shift from a public proclamation by town criers to the nuanced expectation surrounding sensitive information suggests that the act of making something known is always mediated by social context and perceived sensitivity. The structure of the word, rooted in the idea of making something "common" or known to the mob, implies an inherent tension between transparency and discretion. This pattern suggests that language evolves to codify social expectations about what constitutes appropriate revelation, implying that understanding information requires recognizing the historical weight attached to the act of divulging. The core implication is that the control over shared knowledge shapes social interactions more than the mere transmission of data.