[fur.tive] adj [F or L; F furtif, fr. L furtivus, fr. furtum theft, fr. fur thief, fr. or akin to Gk phor thief, pherein to carry--more at bear] (1612) 1 a: done by stealth: surreptitious b: expressive of stealth: sly "had a ~ look about him"
2: obtained underhandedly: stolen syn see secret -- fur.tive.ly adv -- fur.tive.ness n