reptitious

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English

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Etymology

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From Late Latin reptitius (creeping), corruption of Latin reperticius, from reptus (crept, crawled) + -īcius (-itious), from rēpere (to creep, to crawl), modified by English -ious, q.v. Cognate with repent, reptant, reptile, reptilious, surreptitious.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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reptitious (comparative more reptitious, superlative most reptitious)

  1. (obsolete) Synonym of reptile: creeping, crawling.
    • [1658, Edward Phillips, compiler, “Reptitious”, in The New World of English Words: Or, A General Dictionary: [], London: [] E. Tyler, for Nath[aniel] Brook [], →OCLC, column 2:
      Reptitious, ſtealing or creeping on by degrees.]
    • 1661, Thomas Blount, Glossographia, 2nd ed., s.v. "Reptile or Reptitious":
      Reptile or Reptitious, that creeps; or, by privy means, gets to high estate.
    • 1742, Charles Owen, An Essay towards a Natural History of Serpents, page 2:
      Some Serpents are reptitious, creep on the Belly, and some have Feet.
  2. (obsolete) Synonym of reptilian: reptilelike, (figuratively) cold-blooded, treacherous.
    • 1661, Thomas Blount, Glossographia, 2nd ed., s.v. "Reptile or Reptitious":
      Reptile or Reptitious, that creeps; or, by privy means, gets to high estate.
    • 1675, Edmund Borlase, The Reduction of Ireland to the Crown of England, page 172:
      Whether [dysentery] proceeds from... some Occult cause, no venomous Creature living [in Ireland] to suck that which may be thought... well distributed amongst reptitious Animals, I shall not determine.

References

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