sur·rep·ti·tious
Audio Help [sur-uh
p-tish-uh
s] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [sur-uh
p-tish-uh
s] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance. |
| 2. | acting in a stealthy way. |
| 3. | obtained by subreption; subreptitious. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
surreptitious
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| sur·rep·ti·tious
Audio Help (sûr'əp-tĭsh'əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[Middle English, from Latin surreptīcius, from surreptus, past participle of surripere, to take away secretly : sub-, secretly; see sub- + rapere, to seize; see rep- in Indo-European roots.] sur'rep·ti'tious·ly adv., sur'rep·ti'tious·ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
surreptitious
1443, from L. surrepticius "stolen, furtive, clandestine," from surreptus, pp. of surripere "seize secretly," from sub "from under" (hence, "secretly") + rapere "to snatch" (see rapid).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| surreptitious | |
adjective | |
| 1. | marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; "a furtive manner"; "a sneak attack"; "stealthy footsteps"; "a surreptitious glance at his watch" [syn: furtive] |
| 2. | conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; "clandestine intelligence operations"; "cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines"; "hole-and-corner intrigue"; "secret missions"; "a secret agent"; "secret sales of arms"; "surreptitious mobilization of troops"; "an undercover investigation"; "underground resistance" [syn: clandestine] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Surreptitious
Sub*rep"tion\, n. [L. subreptio, fr. subripere, subreptum, to snatch or take away secretly: cf. F. subreption. See Surreptitious.] The act of obtaining a favor by surprise, or by unfair representation through suppression or fraudulent concealment of facts. --Bp. Hall.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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