secret

secret [sē′krit]

adj.

[OFr < L secretus, pp. of secernere, to set apart < se-, apart (see SECEDE) + cernere, to sift, distinguish: see HARVEST]

1. kept from public knowledge or from the knowledge of a certain person or persons

2. withdrawn, remote, or secluded [a secret hideaway]

3. keeping one's affairs to oneself; secretive

4. beyond general knowledge or understanding; mysterious or esoteric

5. concealed from sight or notice; hidden [a secret drawer]

6. acting in secret [a secret society]

n.

1. something known only to a certain person or persons and purposely kept from the knowledge of others

2. something not revealed, understood, or explained; mystery [the secret of Stonehenge]

3. the true cause or explanation, regarded as not obvious [the secret of one's success]

4. [S-] a prayer said just before the Preface of the Mass

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in secret

without the knowledge of others; secretly

secretly

adv.

SYN.- SECRET, the general term, implies a concealing or keeping from the knowledge of others, for whatever reason [my secret opinion of him ]; COVERT implies a concealing as by disguising or veiling [a covert threat ]; CLANDESTINE suggests that what is being kept secret is of an illicit, immoral, or proscribed nature [their clandestine meetings in the park ]; STEALTHY implies a slow, quiet secrecy of action in an attempt to elude notice and often connotes deceit [the stealthy advance of the panther ]; FURTIVE adds to this connotations of slyness or watchfulness and suggests a reprehensible objective [the furtive movement of his hand toward my pocket ]; SURREPTITIOUS connotes a feeling of guilt in the one who is acting in a furtive or stealthy manner [she stole a surreptitious glance at him ]; UNDERHANDED implies a stealthiness characterized by fraudulence or deceit [underhanded business dealings ] -ANT. OPEN, OBVIOUS