surreptitious
adjective
[ ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs ]
• kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
• "low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen"
Similar:
secret,
stealthy,
clandestine,
secretive,
sneaky,
sly,
furtive,
concealed,
hidden,
undercover,
covert,
veiled,
under the table,
cloak-and-dagger,
backstair,
indirect,
black,
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘obtained by suppression of the truth’): from Latin surreptitius (from the verb surripere, from sub- ‘secretly’ + rapere ‘seize’) + -ous.
