surreptitiously
əpˈtɪʃ 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.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin surreptīcius stolen, clandestine, equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere to steal, (sur- sur-2 + rep-, combining form of rapere to snatch, rape1 + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius -itious
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin surreptīcius stolen, clandestine, equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere to steal, (sur- sur-2 + rep-, combining form of rapere to snatch, rape1 + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius -itious
Related forms
sur·rep·ti·tious·ly, adverb
sur·rep·ti·tious·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To surreptitiously
00:10
Surreptitiously
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
surreptitious (ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means |
| 2. | operating by stealth |
| 3. | characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth |
| [C15: from Latin surreptīcius furtive, from surripere to steal, from sub- secretly + rapere to snatch] | |
| surrep'titiously | |
| —adv | |
| surrep'titiousness | |
| —n | |
| surreptitious (ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means |
| 2. | operating by stealth |
| 3. | characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth |
| [C15: from Latin surreptīcius furtive, from surripere to steal, from sub- secretly + rapere to snatch] | |
| surrep'titiously | |
| —adv | |
| surrep'titiousness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
surreptitious
mid-15c., from L. surrepticius "stolen, furtive, clandestine," from surreptus, pp. of surripere "seize secretly," from sub "from under" (hence, "secretly") + rapere "to snatch" (see rapid). Related: Surreptitiously.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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