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Secret

//ˈsiː.kɹɪt// adj, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Being or kept hidden.

    "We went down a secret passage."

  2. 2
    Withdrawn from general intercourse or notice; in retirement or secrecy; secluded. obsolete

    "Sing Heav'nly Muſe, that on the secret top / Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didſt inſpire / That Shepherd, who firſt taught the choſen Seed, / In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth / Roſe out of Chaos: [...]"

  3. 3
    Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive, separate, apart. obsolete

    "What neede we any ſpurre, but our owne cauſe / To pricke vs to redreſſe? What other Bond / Than ſecret Romans, that haue ſpoke the Word, / And will not palter?"

  4. 4
    Separate; distinct. obsolete

    "They suppose two other divine hypostases superior thereunto, which were perfectly secret from matter."

Adjective
  1. 1
    not openly made known wordnet
  2. 2
    the next to highest level of official classification for documents wordnet
  3. 3
    having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding wordnet
  4. 4
    not expressed wordnet
  5. 5
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    indulging only covertly wordnet
  2. 7
    communicated covertly wordnet
  3. 8
    (of information) given in confidence or in secret wordnet
  4. 9
    hidden from general view or use wordnet
  5. 10
    designed to elude detection wordnet
  6. 11
    not open or public; kept private or not revealed wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden. countable

    ""Can you keep a secret?" "Yes." "So can I.""

  2. 2
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained wordnet
  3. 3
    The key or principle by which something is made clear; the knack. countable, uncountable

    "The secret to a long-lasting marriage is compromise."

  4. 4
    information known only to a special group wordnet
  5. 5
    Something not understood or known. countable, uncountable

    "Thou knewſt by name, and all th' ethereal powers, / All ſecrets of the deep, all Natures works,"

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on) wordnet
  2. 7
    Private seclusion. uncountable

    "The work was done in secret, so that nobody could object."

  3. 8
    The genital organs. archaic, countable, in-plural, uncountable
  4. 9
    A form of steel skullcap. countable, historical, uncountable
  5. 10
    Any prayer spoken inaudibly and not aloud; especially, one of the prayers in the Tridentine Mass, immediately following the "orate, fratres", said inaudibly by the celebrant. countable, in-plural, often, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To make or keep secret. rare, transitive

    "… she would unfold the silk, press it with a smooth wooden block that she'd heated in the oven, and then once more secret it away."

  2. 2
    To hide secretly. rare, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun.

Etymology 2

The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun.

Etymology 3

From Middle English secrette, from Old French secret, from Latin sēcrētus (“separated, hidden”), from ptp of sēcernō (“separate, to set aside, sunder out”), from cernō, from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Displaced Old English dēagol (“secret”).

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