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November 7, 2022
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| Word of the Week--"Surreptitious" |
Definition--Surreptitious- adj. stealthy; secretive; sneaky; underhanded.
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| Discussion-- Burglars rely on being surreptitious; it is how they make their living. They obtain things through underhanded and sneaky ways. Well, at least the good ones do. I saw a show once documenting an incident in which a burglar became stuck in a venting shaft, and was only able to get out with the help of the police! That is not the epitome of stealth.
Surreptitious does not have to imply anything underhanded or illegal. It could just be referring to the secretive nature of something. For example, if you notice an attractive individual walking down the street, you may steal a surreptitious glance at that person. After all, you don't want to stare!
I do not tend to have much skill in the stealth department. Very few of my actions tend to be surreptitious. You can hear me coming from a mile away. As a result of this lack of clandestine ability, I was never very good at hide and seek. You know, it can really be quite traumatic for a young child to lack skill in such a simple game. Imagine how I felt when I was so noisy my 3 year-old nephew found me when we played last week!
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| Etymology--Surreptitious- from Latin surrepticius, from surreptus, past participle of surripere, meaning to seize secretly.
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Foreign Translations
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| Dutch: |
clandestien, heimelijk
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| French: |
clandestin(e)
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| German: |
heimlich
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| Italian: |
clandestino
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| Spanish: |
furtivo, subrepticio
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Jane Ellis
Previous Words of the Week
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