Etimology
From Middle English revēlen, from Old French reveler, from Latin revēlāre (“to reveal, uncover”), from re- (“back, again”) + vēlāre (“to cover”), from vēlum (“veil”).
noun
reveal (plural reveals)
The outer side of a window or door frame.
(cinematography, narratology, comedy, usually informal) A revelation; an uncovering of what was hidden in the scene or story.
Examples
Synonyms: jamb, revel
The building has a one-story rusticated limestone base and a canopied entrance with a doorman beneath an attractive, rusticated limestone window reveal on the second floor and a very impressive and ornate limestone window reveal on the third floor flanked by female figures[1].
The comedian had been telling us about his sleep being disturbed by noise. Then came the reveal: he was sleeping on a bed in a department store.
A simple dolly or crane move can be used for an effective reveal. A subject fills the frame, then with a move, something else is revealed.
Once you find out what’s going on—the girl is a “hungry,” this film’s term for zombies—it’s still interesting enough, if not quite as powerful. That’s basically what you’re in for with this British postapocalyptic survival horror tale, which starts off strong but dilutes its impact with every consecutive reveal.
Even Westworld—based on a science-fiction novel where robots run amok—ended its second season with the ultimate reveal: human beings are simpler and more predictable than the artificial intelligences we create.
verb
reveal (third-person singular simple present reveals, present participle revealing, simple past and past participle revealed)
(transitive) To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden.
(transitive) To communicate that which could not be known or discovered without divine or supernatural instruction.
Examples
Synonyms: uncover, unfold, unveil; see also Thesaurus:reveal
Light was the wound, the prince's care unknown, / She might not, would not, yet reveal her own.
The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
Synonyms: disclose, divulge; see also Thesaurus:divulge