furtive

Etymology

From Middle English *furtyve (implied in furtyvely (adverb)), from Middle French furtif, furtive (“furtive, stealthy”) (modern French furtif), from Latin fūrtīvus (“clandestine, furtive, secret; concealed, hidden; stolen”), from fūrtum (“theft; robbery”) (from fūr (“thief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives).

adj

1. Of a thing: done with evasive or guilty secrecy.
   […] The Defendant never vvas acknovvledged by the Sieur Harrouard’s Family, nor by that of his VVife. Thus, granting him to have been in Poſſeſſion of his Son’s Eſtate, it vvould only be a furtive and clandeſtine, not a public and avovved Poſſeſſion; and conſequently ſuch a Poſſeſſion as is incapable of founding a juſt and legal Title. 1744, [François Gayot de Pitaval], “The History of Charles-Francis Harrouard, whom His Father and Mother Disowned to be Their Son”, in [anonymous], transl., A Select Collection of Singular and Interesting Histories.[…], volume II, London: […] [A]ndrew Millar,[…], →OCLC, page 280
   At the edge of my kingdom scurry / ⁠Creatures in feathers and furs— / Crows in a furtive hurry— / ⁠Hungry and cringing curs— […] 1902, [Alice Macdonald Fleming], “In Camp”, in Alice Kipling; Alice Macdonald Fleming], Hand in Hand: Verses by a Mother and Daughter, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews[…]; New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 71
2. Of a thing: that has been acquired by theft; stolen; also (generally) taken stealthily.
3. Of a person or an animal: sly, stealthy.
   Gluttonous, hoarding jay; he should have hedge-hopped and lurched from tree to tree in his usual furtive manner. 1967, J[ohn] A[lec] Baker, “[The Peregrine] The Hunting Life”, in John Fanshawe, editor, The Peregrine, The Hill of Summer & Diaries: The Complete Works of J. A. Baker, London: Collins, published 2011, page 48
4. Of a person, etc.: inclined to steal; pilfering, thieving.