surreptitious
[ sur-uhp-tish-uhs ]
/ ˌsɜr əpˈtɪʃ əs /
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adjective
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
acting in a stealthy way.
obtained by subreption; subreptitious.
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Origin of surreptitious
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin surreptīcius “stolen, clandestine,” equivalent to surrept(us), past participle of surripere “to steal,” (sur- sur-2 + rep-, combining form of rapere “to snatch, plunder” (see rape1) + -tus past participle suffix) + -īcius adjective suffix (see -itious)
OTHER WORDS FROM surreptitious
sur·rep·ti·tious·ly, adverbsur·rep·ti·tious·ness, nounWords nearby surreptitious
surrebuttal, surrebutter, surrejoinder, surrender, surrender value, surreptitious, surreptitiously, surrey, surrogacy, surrogate, surrogate mother
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for surreptitious
British Dictionary definitions for surreptitious
surreptitious
/ (ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs) /
adjective
done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
operating by stealth
characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth
Derived forms of surreptitious
surreptitiously, adverbsurreptitiousness, nounWord Origin for surreptitious
C15: from Latin surreptīcius furtive, from surripere to steal, from sub- secretly + rapere to snatch
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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