fur·tive

[fur-tiv]
adjective
1.
taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret: a furtive glance.
2.
sly; shifty: a furtive manner.

Origin:
1480–90; < Latin furtīvus, equivalent to furt(um) theft (compare fūr thief) + -īvus -ive

fur·tive·ly, adverb
fur·tive·ness, noun


1. clandestine, covert. 2. underhand, cunning.
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World English Dictionary
furtive (ˈfɜːtɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
characterized by stealth; sly and secretive
 
[C15: from Latin furtīvus stolen, clandestine, from furtum a theft, from fūr a thief; related to Greek phōr thief]
 
'furtively
 
adv
 
'furtiveness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Furtive is an SAT word you need to know.
So is obeisance. Does it mean:
depraved, villainous, or base.
a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, as before a superior; a bow, curtsy, or other similar gesture.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

furtive
late 15c., from Fr. furtif, from L. furtivus "stolen, hidden, secret," from furtum "theft, robbery," from fur (gen. furis) "thief." Related: Furtiveness
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Still, here was the author's attempt to allow opposites-peril and bliss,
  furtive lovers and traditional family-to harmonize.
Last season's ending was pyrotechnic, furtive, dramatic and fraught.
Entrapment has long been a factor in the enforcement of vice laws, which seek
  to punish behavior that is furtive and widespread.
These earliest mammals were small, furtive creatures.
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