surrettizio

surreptitious

adjective soor-ret-TEE-tsyoh Rare

Origin: From Latin surreptitius ('obtained by stealth').

Also means

clandestine

Usage Note

Surrettizio is a formal, literary adjective describing something done secretly or by stealth, often implying deception or irregularity: un'acquisizione surrettizia ('a surreptitious acquisition'). It is most common in legal and journalistic prose. The adverb is surrettiziamente. It is rarely used in everyday speech, where furtivo or clandestino would be more natural.

Examples

"L'accordo surrettizio fu poi reso pubblico."

Natural Translation

The surreptitious agreement was later made public.

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