The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Detect \De*tect"\ (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), a. [L. detectus, p. p. of
   detegere to uncover, detect; de + tegere to cover. See
   Tegument.]
   Detected. [Obs.] --Fabyan.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Detect \De*tect"\ (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Detected; p. pr. & vb. n. Detecting.]
   1. To uncover; to discover; to find out; to bring to light;
      as, to detect a crime or a criminal; to detect a mistake
      in an account.
      [1913 Webster]

            Plain good intention . . . is as easily discovered
            at the first view, as fraud is surely detected at
            last.                                 --Burke.
      [1913 Webster]

            Like following life through creatures you dissect,
            You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To inform against; to accuse. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            He was untruly judged to have preached such articles
            as he was detected of.                --Sir T. More.

   Syn: To discover; find out; lay bare; expose. Detectable

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

detect
    v 1: discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of;
         "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water";
         "We found traces of lead in the paint" [syn: detect,
         observe, find, discover, notice]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

32 Moby Thesaurus words for "detect":
   ascertain, catch, descry, determine, dig up, discern, discover,
   distinguish, encounter, espy, feel, find, find out, hit, identify,
   locate, make out, note, notice, observe, perceive, pick up, read,
   recognize, scent, see, sense, smell, spot, spy, uncover, unearth