Surreptitious

adjective

Related to or a result of secrecy; done covertly
Trying to avoid detection or attention

Usage

Pssst, you! Yeah, you. Listen:
Have you ever heard an unfamiliar word used in conversation, but been too self-conscious to ask about it? Most of us have been there - somebody uses a strange term like surreptitious, and all we can do is nod seriously and say "mm-hmm" while we think quickly to try and figure it out from context. Objectively there's no shame in not knowing something like that, but for some reason it can still be embarrassing to admit. If only there was some sort of online lexicon that you could reference on the sly, some resource that you could quietly pull up on your phone when no one was looking, to learn that word without drawing attention to yourself. A lexicon that lets you stay surreptitious - someone should get on that.

Luckily, no one's trying to keep the meaning of surreptitious under wraps (though if they are, they might not be happy about us publishing this on the Internet). Surreptitious is used to lend a sense of hushed secrecy to something, making it perfect for spies and magicians. The word is most frequently applied to actions that are conducted delicately and quietly so as to avoid notice. Such stealth can be accomplished by sly tricks like diversion and slight-of-hand - like a prankster's surreptitious placement of a whoopee-cushion on his victim's chair - or just intense concentration on small, quiet movements. For instance, if you walk into a movie late and don't want to bother others, you might try to keep your entrance surreptitious by tiptoeing and being very careful not to rustle your popcorn. Surreptitious can also be used to describe a person who is attempting either to appear inconspicuous and unremarkable or to stay hidden entirely.

Though calling something "secret" might automatically raise suspicion, surreptitious is inherently neutral, and it doesn't itself suggest any wrongdoing. Keeping someone's birthday present hidden until the big day would be just as surreptitious as quietly pocketing a candy bar in a convenience store - the word works for any furtive action regardless of legality and morality. Also important is that being surreptitious doesn't usually involve telling outright lies, since that would require confrontation. Instead, actions are usually made surreptitious through subtle tactics like sneaking around, obfuscation or omission.

Example: While they talked with their guests, Jill tried to give her husband a surreptitious signal that his fly was open.

Example: Unfortunately, Gil was not nearly as good at being surreptitious as his wife, and so his zipping his fly drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Example: Busy zipping his fly, Gil missed his guests' surreptitious eye rolls.

Origin

Today, surreptitious can describe things done secretly for any reason ranging from embarrassment to dishonesty. However, this general nature appears to be the result of a slow broadening of the word's meaning over the course of its history. Surreptitious stems from the Latin verb surripere, meaning specifically "to steal or run away with." This relation to pilfering is seen clearly in the word's roots, sub- (which, here shortened to su-, indicated "under," as in "under the notice of") and the verb rapere (which meant "to grab quickly and run off with" or, specifically, "to seize from"). Surripere would give rise to the Latin adjective surrepticius, which, meaning "filched" or "stealthy (because one is stealing or doing some other illegal activity)," is surreptitious' closest relative. The earliest recordings of the modern English surreptitious are from the mid-1400s.

Derivative Words

Surreptitiously: This adverb describes actions, adjectives, and other adverbs as done or born out of secrecy and the desire to avoid attention.

Example: Thinking that his mom wasn't around, the little boy reached surreptitiously for the plate of cookies on the counter.

Example: Though outwardly frustrated by her young son's attempts to steal cookies, Gloria was surreptitiously gratified that he liked her baking.

Surreptitiousness: This noun refers to the condition of secrecy or furtiveness.

Example: Proud of his successful surreptitiousness, the little boy retreated to the backyard to munch on his prize.

In Literature

From Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables:

And now, being a trifle choleric in his temperament, the lieutenant-governor uplifted the heavy hilt of his sword, wherewith he so beat and banged upon the door, that, as some of the bystanders whispered, the racket might have disturbed the dead. Be that as it might, it seemed to produce no awakening effect on Colonel Pyncheon. When the sound subsided, the silence through the house was deep, dreary, and oppressive, notwithstanding that the tongues of many of the guests had already been loosened by a surreptitious cup or two of wine or spirits.

Hawthorne's use of surreptitious describes the alcohol drunk by the guests as taken furtively so as not to arouse the attentions of others.

Mnemonic

Surreptitious doesn't want to appear suspicious