Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Discovery \Dis*cov"er*y\, n.; pl. {Discoveries}.
   1. The action of discovering; exposure to view; laying open;
      showing; as, the discovery of a plot.

   2. A making known; revelation; disclosure; as, a bankrupt is
      bound to make a full discovery of his assets.

            In the clear discoveries of the next [world].
                                                  --South.

   3. Finding out or ascertaining something previously unknown
      or unrecognized; as, Harvey's discovery of the circulation
      of the blood.

            A brilliant career of discovery and conquest.
                                                  --Prescott.

            We speak of the ``invention'' of printing, the
            discovery of America.                 --Trench.

   4. That which is discovered; a thing found out, or for the
      first time ascertained or recognized; as, the properties
      of the magnet were an important discovery.

   5. Exploration; examination. [Obs.]

Source : WordNet®

discovery
     n 1: the act of discovering something [syn: {find}, {uncovering}]
     2: something that is discovered
     3: a productive insight [syn: {breakthrough}, {find}]
     4: (law) compulsory pretrial disclosure of documents relevant
        to a case; enables one side in a litigation to elicit
        information from the other side concerning the facts in
        the case