furtive

English

Etymology

From French furtif (“stealthy”), From Latin fūrtīvus (“stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft”), from fūr (“thief”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfɜːtɪv/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (Australia) IPA: /ˈfɜːɾɪv/
• (US) IPA: /ˈfɝ.ɾɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

furtive (comparative more furtive, superlative most furtive)

1. stealthy
2. Exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy.
   • 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, p31

     But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control.

Synonyms

• (stealthy): surreptitious
• (having hidden motives): clandestine, conspiratorial, covert, crafty, scheming, shifty,
• See also Wikisaurus:covert

Derived terms

• furtively
• furtiveness

Translations

stealthy

Dutch: heimelijk (nl) German: heimlich (de), geheim (de), Tarn- (de)

Russian: скрытный (ru) Spanish: furtivo (es), sigiloso (es)

having hidden motives

Dutch: geniepig (nl)

exhibiting guilty or evasive secrecy

Dutch: heimelijk (nl), geheim (nl)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

French: furtif Interlingua: furtive (ia) Kurdish: dizîkî, nehînî, razberî

Portuguese: furtivo

---

French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fyʁtiv/

Adjective

furtive f.

1. feminine form of furtif

---

Italian

Adjective

furtive f.

1. Feminine plural form of furtivo

---

Latin

Adjective

fūrtīve

1. masculine vocative singular of fūrtīvus