clandestine
[ klan-des-tin ]
/ klænˈdɛs tɪn /
adjective
characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious: Their clandestine meetings went undiscovered for two years.
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Origin of clandestine
1560–70; <Latin clandestīnus, equivalent to *clande,*clamde, variant of clam secretly (with -de adv. particle) + -stīnus, probably after intestīnus internal; see intestine
SYNONYMS FOR clandestine
OTHER WORDS FROM clandestine
clan·des·tine·ly, adverbclan·des·tine·ness, clan·des·tin·i·ty, nounun·clan·des·tine·ly, adverbWords nearby clandestine
clamshell door, clam up, clamworm, clan, Clancy, clandestine, clang, clang association, clanger, clanging, clangor
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for clandestine
British Dictionary definitions for clandestine
clandestine
/ (klænˈdɛstɪn) /
adjective
secret and concealed, often for illicit reasons; furtive
Derived forms of clandestine
clandestinely, adverbclandestineness, nounWord Origin for clandestine
C16: from Latin clandestīnus, from clam secretly; related to Latin celāre to hide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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