discreet / discrete
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discreet
Behaving in a way that is unobtrusive and keeps confidential information to oneself; tactful and discreet.
Der Hotelpage übergab den Brief absolut diskret, ohne dass die anderen Gäste etwas bemerkten.
The hotel bellhop handed over the letter absolutely discreetly, without the other guests noticing anything.
discrete
In mathematics and physics, the property of consisting of individual, separate units and not being continuous.
Die Anzahl der Studierenden in einem Hörsaal ist eine diskrete Größe, keine stetige.
The number of students in a lecture hall is a discrete quantity, not a continuous one.
You can recognize the meaning of 'diskret' (discreet/discrete) from the context. If people, behavior, or information are being discussed, it means 'unobtrusive' or 'discreet'. In mathematics or technology, it means 'in individual units', not continuous.
Er hat mir die Nachricht ganz diskret zugesteckt.
He slipped me the message very discreetly.
In the meaning 'verschwiegen' (discreet/keeping things confidential), 'diskret' (discreet) is often combined with verbs and nouns that have to do with communication and behavior: 'diskret sein' (to be discreet), 'sich diskret verhalten' (to behave discreetly), 'eine diskrete Frage' (a discreet question), or 'ein diskreter Hinweis' (a discreet hint).
Bitte sei bei diesem Thema absolut diskret und sprich mit niemandem darüber.
Please be absolutely discreet about this topic and don't talk to anyone about it.
'Diskret' (discreetly) is very often used as an adverb to describe how an action is carried out. It then usually stands directly next to the verb.
Sie verließ den Raum so diskret wie möglich.
She left the room as discreetly as possible.
The meaning 'consisting of individual units' is purely technical language. It is used almost exclusively in scientific or technical contexts such as mathematics, physics, or computer science.
Ein digitales Bild besteht aus einer diskreten Anzahl von Pixeln.
A digital image consists of a discrete number of pixels.
digital
When referring to signals, both digital and diskret can fit. Diskret indicates that the values are separate and not continuous; digital emphasizes their numerical representation for processing by computers. Use diskret for the structure of the possible values and digital for the computer-readable representation.
Das Signal nimmt nur diskrete, voneinander getrennte Werte an.
The signal takes only discrete, separate values.
Das Signal ist digital codiert und wird vom Computer verarbeitet.
The signal is digitally encoded and processed by the computer.
