adj. & n.
adj. 1 kept or meant to be kept private, unknown, or hidden from all or all but a few. 2 acting or operating secretly. 3 fond of, prone to, or able to preserve secrecy. 4 (of a place) hidden, completely secluded.
n. 1 a thing kept or meant to be kept secret. 2 a thing known only to a few. 3 a mystery. 4 a valid but not commonly known or recognized method of achieving or maintaining something (what's their secret?; correct breathing is the secret of good health). 5 RC Ch. a prayer concluding the offertory of the mass. in secret secretly. in (or in on) the secret among the number of those who know it. keep a secret not reveal it. secret agent a spy acting for a country. secret ballot a ballot in which votes are cast in secret. secret police a police force operating in secret for political purposes. secret service a government department concerned with espionage. secret society a society whose members are sworn to secrecy about it. secretly adv.
[ ME f. OF f. L secretus (adj.) separate, set apart f. secernere secret- (as SE-, cernere sift) ]