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clan·des·tine

(klăn-dĕstĭn)

adj.

Kept or done in secret, often to conceal an illicit or improper purpose. See Synonyms at secret.

[Latin clandestīnus : *clamde, *clande, secretly (from clam, secretly; see kel-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + de, deictic enclitic particle as in Old Latin quamde, variant of Latin quam, how, as) + stīnus in intestīnus, internal, inward; see INTESTINE.]

clan·destine·ly adv.

clan·destine·ness, clan′des·tini·ty n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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