furtive
Etymology
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Etymology
From Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely), from Middle French furtif, furtive (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus, from fūrtum (from fūr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ) + -īvus.
Pronunciation Adjectivefurtive
- Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
- Synonyms: clandestine, surreptitious, Thesaurus:covert
- 1787–1789, William Wordsworth, “An Evening Walk, Addressed to a Young Lady”, in Henry [Hope] Reed, editor, The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Philadelphia, Pa.: Hayes & Zell, […], published 1860, →OCLC ↗, page 27 ↗, column 2:
- [T]ender cares and mild domestic Loves, / With furtive watch, pursue her [a swan] as she moves; […]
- 1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger”, in Tales of a Traveller, part 1 (Strange Stories. […]), Philadelphia, Pa.: H[enry] C[harles] Carey & I[saac] Lea, […], →OCLC ↗, page 95 ↗:
- I noticed the same singular, and as it were, furtive glance over the shoulder that had attracted my attention in the Cassino.
- 1855, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], “An Old Friend”, in The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volume II, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], →OCLC ↗, page 128 ↗:
- The proprietor of the house cowered over a bed-candle and a furtive tea-pot in the back drawing-room.
- 1859, Charles Dickens, “A Hand at Cards”, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC ↗, book III (The Track of a Storm), page 198 ↗:
- "Don't call me Solomon. Do you want to be the death of me?" asked the man, in a furtive, frightened way.
- 1949 June 8, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter 3, in Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC ↗; republished [Australia]: Project Gutenberg of Australia, August 2001, part 1, page 31 ↗:
- Actually, as Winston well knew, it was only four years since Oceania had been at war with Eastasia and in alliance with Eurasia. But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control.
- Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily.
- 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC ↗, book I (Knowledge), page 415 ↗:
- Novv ſhine theſe Planets vvith ſubſtantial Rays? / Does innate Luſtre gild their meaſur'd Days? / Or do they (as your Schemes, I think, have ſhovvn) / Dart furtive Beams, and Glory not their ovvn, / All Servants to that Source of Light, the Sun?
- Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy.
- Synonyms: thieflike, thievish
- 1857, Pisistratus Caxton [pseudonym; Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter V, in What will He Do with It? (Collection of British Authors; CCCCXL), Tauchnitz edition, volume III, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, →OCLC ↗, book VI, page 159 ↗:
- All women have their foibles. Wise husbands must bear and forbear. Is that all? wherefore, then, is her aspect so furtive, wherefore on his a wild, vigilant sternness?
- 1864 May – 1865 November, Charles Dickens, “Setting Traps”, in Our Mutual Friend. […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1865, →OCLC ↗, book the fourth (A Turning), page 165 ↗:
- So, Riderhood looking after him as he went, and he with his furtive hand laid upon the dagger as he passed it, and his eyes upon the boat, were much upon a par.
- Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving.
- Synonyms: thievish
- German: verstohlen
- Portuguese: furtivo
- French: furtif, subreptice
- German: geheim, heimlich, tarnen
- Italian: furtivo
- Portuguese: furtivo
- Russian: скры́тный
- Spanish: furtivo, sigiloso
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.001
