Definitions
secret and sly or sordid
Word origin
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).
Used in a sentence
“[T]ender cares and mild domestic Loves, / With furtive watch, pursue her [a swan] as she moves; […]”
“I noticed the same singular, and as it were, furtive glance over the shoulder that had attracted my attention in the Cassino.”
“The proprietor of the house cowered over a bed-candle and a furtive tea-pot in the back drawing-room.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Sly and secretive”7 letters
Not quite right?
"Search similar patterns."
F______